Perspectives of nursing students on end-of-life nurse education: A qualitative study of the guided death experience.

BACKGROUND: Although various studies reported on educational methods for end-of-life care, there is lack of evidence on how nursing students experience simulated death.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the experiences of undergraduate nursing students who participated in a guided death experience.

DESIGN: The research utilized a qualitative descriptive design.

SETTINGS: The research was conducted at a Japanese university nursing school.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 82 nursing students were recruited to complete an end-of-life course in which they participated in a guided death experience as part of their third-year curriculum.

METHODS: Descriptions of the guided death experience were analyzed using content analysis.

RESULTS: Nursing students' experiences in the guided death experience fell into two main categories: "subjective experience of immersing oneself in the world of the patient who is dying" and "formation of nursing perspectives of end-of-life care." The former focused on subjective experiences of nursing students vividly expressing their own emotions such as grief, anger, fear, and depression during the guided death experience process. The latter expressed recognition of the essence of end-of-life-care through the guided death experience, such as thinking about needs of the person who is dying, being present, and listening to the individual.

CONCLUSIONS: In end-of-life nurse education, the guided death experience allows students to face first-person death. This fosters a core view of nursing in palliative and end-of-life care. Overall, the guided death experience is an important means of preparatory education for relevant clinical practice.