Abstract
Background: Nursing Associations recommend that undergraduate nursing programs integrate end-of-life content throughout their nursing curricula to address the needs of those requiring such care. Objective: To determine the extent of nursing students' knowledge about end-of-life care in the final year of an undergraduate nursing program in Ontario, Canada. Method: The content of reflective exercises written by 24 nursing students enrolled in an end-of-life elective were thematically analyzed, both at the beginning and end of a 12 week course. Results: Results indicate that undergraduate nursing students’ end-of-life knowledge and experiences vary greatly. The overarching theme Duty of Care indicated that the students were motivated to take the course to fulfill a sense of professional responsibility. The sub-themes Assumptions and Experience (subdivided as Limited, Personal, and Professional) depicted students' initial and variable understanding of end-of-life care. Under the theme of Transferable Skills, the students’ range of knowledge and the competencies they gained from their clinical placements and the course were illustrated. Conclusion: The study is expected to aid in curriculum review of a university's undergraduate nursing program.
Highlights
Nursing Associations recommend that undergraduate nursing programs integrate end-of-life content throughout their nursing curricula to address the needs of those requiring such care
A thematic content analysis was conducted on the texts from two reflective exercises written by 24 students enrolled in an end-of-life elective course in the final year of their nursing program at a university in Ontario, Canada
The purpose of this study was to determine what students taking an elective course in the final year of their undergraduate nursing program in Ontario, Canada knew about palliative or end-of-life care prior to graduation from the program
Summary
Nursing Associations recommend that undergraduate nursing programs integrate end-of-life content throughout their nursing curricula to address the needs of those requiring such care. Method: The content of reflective exercises written by 24 nursing students enrolled in an end-of-life elective were thematically analyzed, both at the beginning and end of a 12week course. Results: Results indicate that undergraduate nursing students’ end-of-life knowledge and experiences vary greatly. The overarching theme Duty of Care indicated that the students were motivated to take the course to fulfill a sense of professional responsibility. The sub-themes Assumptions and Experience (subdivided as Limited, Personal, and Professional) depicted students' initial and variable understanding of end-of-life care. Under the theme of Transferable Skills, the students’ range of knowledge and the competencies they gained from their clinical placements and the course were illustrated. Conclusion: The study is expected to aid in curriculum review of a university's undergraduate nursing program
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