Nursing Students' Operating Room Experiences: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Abstract

BackgroundMissed nursing care is a condition that is likely to be encountered frequently in the surgical care process and is generally related to the educational and emotional needs of the patients. Perception of and witnessing missed care can affect nursing images, expectations, and experiences by causing nursing students to experience professional disappointment. PurposeThe purpose of the study was to explore nursing students' perception of missed perioperative nursing care (PNMC) according to "role theory" and Benner's "novice to expert" theories. MethodsThe study used a qualitative design based on Heidegger's hermeneutical phenomenological approach. Study data were collected using a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers through face-to-face interviews lasting approximately 50 minutes. The analysis of the data was conducted using van Manen's thematic analysis. The SRQR checklist was used in reporting the study. ResultsThis study, which was conducted to explore awareness of PMNC, consisted of 12 students, including five males and seven females. It was understood that nursing students noticed PMNC in clinical practice, experienced internal conflict about the issue, were concerns about the image of nursing, and experienced role and professional identity confusion. The themes of the study were formed in the light of these experiences of nursing students. Three themes and 11 sub-themes emerged in the study. The themes of the study were (1) perceived PMNC applications-behavior patterns (2) internal reflections of PMNC - its impact on professional identity development and (3) perceptions of professionalism in perioperative nursing ConclusionsThis study provided important data about the awareness of PMNC in the surgical clinical practice of nursing students in Turkey and the effects of this awareness on the professional roles and professional identity process. It was determined that students were aware of the behavioral patterns of PMNC and that they experienced internal conflict, anxiety about the nursing image, role confusion, and professional identity confusion due to this awareness. It was understood that some students justified the PMNC behaviors of the nurses and others saw themselves as the power to change the PMNC behaviors.