Experiences and responses of nursing students as second victims of patient safety incidents in a clinical setting: A mixed-methods study

Aim To investigate the degree of second victim syndrome among nursing students in clinical practice and determine the rehabilitation process. Background Empirical evidence suggests that health care providers who are considered second victims suffer from various difficulties. Nursing students in a clinical setting could be potential second victims, but few studies have quantitatively investigated the experiences and explored their response processes. Methods A mixed-methods design was used. A questionnaire was sent to nursing students via a link to an electronic survey, and a semi-structured interview was conducted to explore their response process as second victims. Results The quantitative results showed that nursing students in the clinical setting suffered second victim-related distress and that the most significant influences were psychological distress and professional efficacy. Four stages of rehabilitation experiences emerged from the qualitative data. Conclusion Being a second victim for nursing students in a clinical setting is psychological suffering, and although they can be expected to recover, an impact on professional efficacy is inevitable. Implications for Nursing Management Nursing managers must be aware that nursing students in a clinical setting might experience difficult situations after patient safety incidents and that developing appropriate programmes to support at-risk students is important.