Death and dying : student nurses experience, knowledge and support

Abstract

The available literature, which was produced in other countries, indicates that students often go through unpleasant experiences when dealing with death and dying. This study was devised to explore the experiences of the Maltese student nurse in dealing with death and dying in the clinical situation focusing mainly on knowledge and support. A questionnaire comprising a mixture of open and closed questions was devised which would be distributed to sixty students randomly chosen from among the nursing students in the Institute of Health Care. The validity and understandability of the questionnaire were tested through a pilot study, the results of which suggested it was appropriate for use. Both quantitive and qualitive analysis of data would be used. The apparent strengths and limitations of the study have been discussed. On conducting the study and with a satisfactory response the study would hopefully provide a broad sketch of the current situation, indicating what would merit focusing on and exploring further in future studies. In addition, the results would offer guidelines to planning and delivering the students nurses' education and clinical experience.