Can I tell you a secret?'

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Care

Background:

• General nursing students frequently encounter challenging patient inquiries, such as "Am I dying?"
• Many students express significant anxiety and a perceived lack of preparedness for these critical conversations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the preparedness and anxieties of general nursing students regarding end-of-life patient questions.
• To identify specific areas where nursing students feel inadequately equipped to handle sensitive patient dialogues.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative exploration of nursing student experiences.
• Analysis of student-reported feelings of preparedness and anxiety.

Main Results:

• A notable level of apprehension exists among nursing students concerning end-of-life patient queries.
• Students often feel ill-equipped to manage the emotional and clinical aspects of such discussions.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for enhanced training in end-of-life communication for nursing students.
• Curriculum development should prioritize equipping future nurses with the skills to address patient fears about dying.