The first experiences of clinical practice of psychiatric nursing students in Taiwan: a phenomenological study

Aims and objectives. The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of psychiatric nursing students during their first encounters with psychiatric patients in a clinical setting. The objective is to assist educational professionals in mental health to improve teaching strategies. Background. In clinical settings, student psychiatric nurses have to face complex problems and situations that can result in distress. Sometimes the student nurse will be uncertain of their own ability and this is reflected in a sense of fear on the part of some nurses. However, little research has been conducted into the first clinical experiences of such nursing students in Taiwan. Design. A qualitative phenomenological study was devised to explore what psychiatric nursing students perceived during their first experiences of clinical practice and narratives were analysed using Colaizzi's seven-step method. Method. A phenomenological approach and purposive sampling were used in the study. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect the data and during the process of data analysis we established epochs (bracketing) and focused on the reality of the student nurses' experience to keep the data objective. Results. Four themes were identified: breaking the stigma of mental illness, developing a trusting relationship with the patient, gaining professional knowledge and skills and the process of student growth. Conclusion. The findings from this study demonstrate that it is important to understand the perceptions of students during their first experiences of psychiatric nursing in a clinical setting and highlight the importance of educational programs. Relevance to clinical practice. By understanding the emotional process that psychiatric nursing students may go through during their clinical practice, educators can be better able to design suitable training courses in the future.