“Seeing the patient as a human is their priority” – Patients’ experiences of being cared for by pairs of student nurses

Abstract

Background: A Developing and Learning Care Unit (DLCU) is a model used in the clinical practice of student nurses that aims at bridging the gap between theory and praxis, by supporting nursing students’ learning through supervision in pairs. The aim of this study is to describe how patients experience being cared for by pairs of student nurses.

Methods: The study is based on a reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach founded on phenomenological traditions. Data was collected in lifeworld interviews of 17 patients cared for by pairs of student nurses. The data was explored and analysed for meaning.

Results: To be cared for by student nurses, supervised in pairs entails being involved in the students’ learning and being met with responsibility and a willingness to care and learn. This means being made the centre of attention, being seen, taken seriously and being listened to as a valuable human being. The students’ care is shown to be more flexible and has a more open approach, in comparison to that of the ordinary staff, and they ‘do something extraordinary’ and give of their time.

Conclusions: Pairs of students, who are supervised within a learning model that support students’ learning through reflection, can contribute to patient experiences of being given good care.