Third-year nursing students' lived experience of caring for the dying: a hermeneutic phenomenological approach.

BACKGROUND: In preparation for practice as a Registered Nurse, it is essential that students are equipped to care for the dying patient and their family.

AIM: To explore nursing students' lived experience of caring for a dying patient and their family.

DESIGN: Hermeneutic phenomenology.

METHODS: Students who had cared for a dying patient in their final year of study were invited to participate in an interview. Participants' narratives (n = 6) were thematically analysed.

FINDINGS: Analysis revealed three themes: being caring, unexpectedness in witnessing an expected death and experiencing loss. Students demonstrated family-centred care but recounted unexpectedness in both the dying trajectory and physical changes in the dying patient. When reflecting on experiencing loss, students questioned their own actions, acknowledged the value of relationships and identified ways to cope.

CONCLUSIONS: Engaging students in the care of dying patients and providing appropriate preparation/support can influence their experience and the care they provide in the future.