title: Nursing students' perceptions of caring for dying people, after one year in nursing school.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe Swedish nursing students' perceptions of caring for dying people after the first year of a three year in a nursing programme at three university nursing schools in Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews (n=17) were undertaken with nursing students at the end of their first year. A phenomenographic approach was used to design and structure the analysis of the nursing students' perceptions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis resulted in five categories: 1) from abstract to reality, 2) from scary to natural, 3) increased knowledge can give bad conscience, 4) time limits versus fear of end-of-life conversations, and 5) meeting with relatives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nursing students need to be prepared both theoretically and within practice to encounter death and dying and to care for dying persons. By combining their theoretical knowledge of dying and death with their own encounters of death and dying people in practice, the students can be supported to develop an understanding of dying and death as a natural part of life rather than something frightening.
authors.affiliation: Ersta Sköndal University College and Ersta Hospital, Palliative Research Centre, Stockholm, Sweden; Ersta Sköndal University College, Department of Health Care Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: jane.osterlind@esh.se.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Österlind
authors.affiliation: Ersta Sköndal University College and Ersta Hospital, Palliative Research Centre, Stockholm, Sweden; Ersta Sköndal University College, Department of Health Care Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prahl
authors.affiliation: University of Skövde, The School of Health and Education, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Westin
authors.affiliation: Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sweden; Angered Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: Susann
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strang
authors.affiliation: University of Skövde, The School of Health and Education, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bergh
authors.affiliation: Ersta Sköndal University College and Ersta Hospital, Palliative Research Centre, Stockholm, Sweden; Angered Hospital, Sweden; University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care (GPCC), Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Henoch
authors.affiliation: University of Skövde, The School of Health and Education, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hammarlund
authors.affiliation: University of Skövde, The School of Health and Education, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D013548:Sweden; D013727:Terminal Care
keywords: Death; Dying; End-of-life care; Nursing education; Nursing students; Perceptions