Aim The work seeks to explore the emotions felt by pre registration nursing students during their programme of study. How nursing students identify and manage their emotions and the effect this has on their lives will be analysed, and suggestions offered on how the findings can influence educational practices. Background Emotion work is an important aspect of nursing practice although one which may be overlooked during educational preparation. It is essential to support nursing students in a meaningful way to ensure that they can maintain a sense of self whilst managing the emotional challenges faced. This is important for the sake of their own and the patients well being. Approach Data was uncovered using the thoughts and feelings taken from fifteen unstructured interviews involving a sample of pre registration nursing students at a UK University. An exploratory approach underpinned by Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology has been taken. Written in first person, the work takes a reflexive stance and uses the researcher’s own stories and thoughts alongside the work of other authors and the data, to fully co-constitute the text. In this way a different understanding of the issues surrounding emotional nurse being is uncovered. Findings The findings revealed emotional nurse being as a multi faceted phenomenon with three main constituents. These relate to authenticity, being professional and coping. Emotional nurse being was found to be characterised by anxiety, frustration, anger and sadness. At times nursing students struggled to cope with their emotions and felt they did not get the necessary support. In some cases they felt isolated and one student left the programme. Their ability to cope related to feelings of vulnerability, past coping mechanisms and the amount of external support offered to them from practice and University staff. The findings suggest that further ways are required to support the emotional needs of nursing students. Conclusion The work adds to the growing body of knowledge on emotion work amongst nursing students. The term emotional nurse being is used to identify the phenomenon and provide a way of thinking about this important aspect of nursing work. Creative ways in which educators can provide mutual support and sharing with students is offered. In this way nursing students can retain a sense of who they are, and grow emotionally through their work which will ultimately become more meaningful both to themselves and those for whom they care.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:558166 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Jack, Kirsten Fiona |
| Publisher | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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