Thai nursing students' experiences of caring for patients at the end of life: a phenomenological study

Aim: To describe Thai nursing students' experiences of providing end-of-life care (EoLC). Methods: Data were collected via in-depth interviews with 21 nursing students and were analysed using Van Manen's method. Findings: Eight themes emerged based on Van Manen's four lived worlds: feeling excited and worried when receiving an assigned case; feeling disappointed with the health-care team's provision of psychosocial support for patients at the end-of-life and their families; being in a time of uncertainty; recognising that EoLC is a time for gaining merit; knowing that a peaceful place and privacy are needed for promoting a peaceful death; knowing that the real-life classroom is around the patient's bedside; feeling lonely and needing help and support; and creating relationships with patients and families as a nurse. Conclusions: To promote nursing students' positive clinical experiences in providing EoLC, enhancing staff's competency and closing the theory-practice gap regarding palliative care are necessary objectives.