Do student nurses within an undergraduate child health programme feel that the curriculum prepares them to deal with the death of a child?
This article discusses the findings of a qualitative study undertaken within a university in the UK to investigate whether the curriculum prepares student nurses in an undergraduate children's nursing programme to deal with a child's death. The literature examined made it clear that end-of-life education remains inconsistent within nursing schools, particularly highlighting a deficit within children's nursing, and leaving many students at a disadvantage when faced with a child's death within the practice setting. The article concludes that acquiring the knowledge and skills to enable students to deal confidently with a child's death may not be achievable within a classroom setting, however more could be done to address students' concerns in dealing with such a significantly traumatic event. The recommendations are that death education needs to take a higher priority earlier on in the curriculum, and that students need to be provided with the opportunity to reflect on their experiences within small group discussions.
Carson
Sheena
S
Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kings College London, UK. sheena.h.carson@kcl.ac.uk
D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003479:Curriculum; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012579:Schools, Nursing; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult