Intensive care experiences of intern nurse students: A qualitative study

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the experiences of nursing interns in the intensive care unit (ICU). Design: This study was a descriptive qualitative research. Settings, participants, methods: The study data were collected via focus group interviews of 25 nursing interns in the two different ICUs of a university hospital who had volunteered to participate in the study. There were four focus group interviews in all, one for each of four different groups of nursing interns. The semi-structured interview form was used in the study. Results: Seven themes emerged in the study: fear, awareness of nurses' roles, finding opportunities for selfimprovement, difficulty in caregiving, difficulty in communicating with the patients and the care team, experiencing ambivalent feelings related to death, and adaptation to the clinical environment. Conclusions: Doing one's internship in the ICU was evaluated by the nursing interns in this study as a beneficial practice despite the difficulties involved in it. It is recommended, that intensive-care practices be included in the undergraduate education program for nurses and that appropriate guidance and monitoring be given to the nursing interns in ICUs.