title: Australian nursing students' stories of end-of-life care simulation.
abstract: Because nurses are at the forefront of end-of-life care, it is imperative that nursing students are prepared for this role upon graduation. Research suggests that many nursing students are unprepared to deliver compassionate and quality end-of-life care. There have been many attempts to address this need; one emerging method is end-of-life care simulation. This paper explores the experiences of 18 undergraduate nursing students of end-of-life care simulation. Participants' stories were obtained via observation during end-of-life care simulation, audio-recorded post simulation debriefing, and semi-structured interviews. Using Clandinin and Connolly's three dimensions of Narrative Inquiry (temporality, spatiality, and sociality) participants' stories reflected convergence of time, place, and person. Findings revealed three distinct plotlines along a time continuum, specifically surrounding time of death: (i) "The privilege of end-of-life care;" (ii) "Witnessing death as surreal;" and (iii) "The honor of providing after-death care." Participants' narratives suggest that end-of-life care simulation is an important means of preparing students for clinical end-of-life care experiences. This has implications for nursing educators wishing to consider simulation in end-of-life care education.
authors.affiliation: University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Pauline Catherine
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Gillan
authors.affiliation: University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van der Riet
authors.affiliation: University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jeong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001315:Australia; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D016544:Patient Simulation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D013727:Terminal Care
keywords: end-of-life care; narratives; nursing students; simulation; stories