The undergraduate nursing students' experience and perceptions of aesthetics education: A qualitative study

Background: Nursing's dual identity as an art and a science requires a balance within the curriculum. Aesthetics in nursing education, in the form of a course, a program, or an activity, is helpful to empower future nurses with aesthetic knowledge and competence in caring for patients in an artistic and humanistic way. However, the integration of aesthetics into nursing curricula remains underexplored. Aim: To describe the undergraduate nursing students' experience and perspectives of aesthetics education, as a reference to the potential benefits and challenges of nursing aesthetics education. Design: Descriptive phenomenology qualitative approach. Methods: Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants from different provinces in China from July to August 2023. Data were collected through online individual interviews with 16 participants. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi method. Results: Three themes and 12 subthemes were extracted. The themes were Growth through internalizing values and externalizing actions, unique connotations of nursing aesthetics, and expectations and suggestions for nursing aesthetic education. Conclusions: The students had a deep understanding of aesthetics' role in nursing practice and profoundly improved their personalities, professional competence, and commitment through aesthetics education.