The primary theme of narratives of 13 nursing students about caring for suffering patients was bearing witness to suffering. Subthemes included grappling with suffering, struggling with the ineffable, getting through, being with patients, embodying the experience of suffering, and seeing possibilities. (Contains 19 references.) (SK)

Interviews with 114 beginning nursing students were distilled into an inductive framework of professional nursing identity based on their definitions of nursing. Multiple categories were classified into three themes: nursing as noun, verb, and transaction. Results show the extent of students' understanding of the profession. (Contains 21…

Watson's Theory of Human Caring was integrated into clinical staff development and a nursing school's mission and philosophy. It was the foundation for clinical student orientation and development of staff-student relationships. Students experiencing caring in their educational programs may be better prepared to be caring practitioners and…

Nursing students (n=18) were assigned to a 10-week clinical setting (consistent placement) and 18 were assigned to 3 or more settings per term (multiple placements). There were no differences in learning style, self-esteem, or clinical learning outcomes. Those in multiple placements felt more challenged; consistent placements resulted in greater…

Discusses the following topics: identification and classification of learning disabilities (LD), effects of LD on nursing students, teaching and learning, LD legislation, and academic interventions for nursing students with LD. (SK)

Nursing graduates (n=65) completed a critical thinking instrument and clinical decision-making scale. The critical thinking subscales of inference and inductive reasoning were positively correlated to clinical judgment. A significant relationship was found between critical thinking score and grade point average in nursing. (SK)

Nursing students (n=92) recorded skills and behavior in the Essential Clinical Behavior database, then requested clinical assignments to perform nursing behaviors. Analysis using the theory of planned behavior indicated that attitude and subjective norm influenced intention to ask for assignments. Control beliefs had a negative impact on…

Interviews (n=22) and observations (n=14) in clinical settings were coded and analyzed to identify student nurses' problems in communicating with patients and the process of learning solutions. The process involved affirming the self, engaging the patient, experiencing communication breakdown, and refining the repertoire of communication…

To learn the skills of qualitative analysis, 28 nursing students selected research questions, interviewed each other, and conducted data analysis. Students' analyses had 89% agreement with the instructor's on the topic of lab-to-clinic skill transfer, 96% agreement on the influence of experience, and 61% on nervousness during clinical supervision.…

In a phenomenological study, 69 nursing students discussed their experience of being professional, which was grounded in their concept of self and others. Three interrelated figural themes emerged from this ground: belonging, knowing, and affirmation. (SK)

Values Scale results were compared for 152 nursing and 111 management undergraduates. Personal development and altruism were most important for nursing students, who had significantly lower means than the management sample on a t-test for lifestyle, advancement, autonomy, authority, creativity, economic, and risk values. (SK)

North Carolina nursing students (99 baccalaureate, 309 associate degree, and 87 diploma) were surveyed. They were motivated to pursue nursing by past experiences with illness, past health-care work experiences, or family member/friend who was a nurse. Career decisions were also influenced by characteristics of nursing. There were no differences by…

Four nurse preceptors described problems with poor student performance in clinical experiences; their feelings of fear, anxiety, and self-doubt; and the importance of faculty behaviors such as listening, supporting, and following up with unsuccessful students. Results can be applied to improvement of preceptor orientation and preparation. (SK)

An evaluation by exception instrument was developed to rate nursing students' clinical performance by documenting whether behaviors deviated from acceptable standards. The method increased student understanding of areas needing improvement and reduced faculty time to prepare evaluations and conduct student conferences. (SK)

Interviews with 16 senior nursing students identified a primary problem as management of clinical stress. A three-stage process of coping with stress was found: encountering the changing self, losing self, and regaining the managed self. (Contains 60 references.) (SK)