Introduction
The prospect of providing care to a dying person and their family can be anxiety provoking for undergraduate nursing and midwifery students as they may not have developed the personal coping strategies to face death and dying.
Understanding the impact of exposure to death and dying on students during clinical placements, and the necessary education/support/self-care to enhance their resilience is crucial in determining systems to improve the wellbeing of students.
Aims
To explore resilience of nursing and midwifery students in coping with death and dying during clinical placements.
Methods
An online survey was utilised with final year nursing and midwifery students at an Australian university. Two validated questionnaires: “Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale” and “Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale”, demographics and open-ended questions were included. Descriptive data analysis was undertaken.
Results
A total of 54 students with their ages ranging from 20 to 40 years (Median=22.0), completed the online survey (response rate: 20.8%).
Most participants (81.5%) acquired knowledge about death and dying from their current education program. Clinical educators (70.4%) and other students (77.8%) were the most frequently used resources when coping with patient death. More death related education (70.4%), debriefing sessions (66.7%), and group discussions with other students facilitated by university academics (61.1%) were requested.
Participants’ resilience was significantly related to their age and levels of preparedness to care for dying patients. Their attitude towards caring for dying patients and their families were significantly associated with their previous encounters with death.
Discussion
Resilience is an important factor for students to develop effective coping strategies and provides the possibility of personal and professional growth. More death related education including self-care strategies is necessary to enhance their resilience. Debriefing sessions following patient death may assist students in making sense of their experiences with the dying process and normalising death.
Conclusion
Resilience and knowledge in death and dying are important for students to effectively cope with the situation and provide quality care for patients and their families.
Funding acknowledgement
Monash University Nursing and Midwifery Education Research Development Grant in 2019-2021.