Challenging nurse student selection policy: Using a lifeworld approach to explore the link between care experience...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Values
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Growing demand for care and evidence of dehumanized care cultures necessitate scrutiny of healthcare practitioner values.
• In England, nursing program admissions require prospective students to demonstrate person-centered values and prior care work experience.
• Limited recent research exists on nursing students' values at program entry or the impact of care experience on these values.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the values of beginning nursing students regarding person-centered care.
• To investigate the influence of prior paid care experience on the values of undergraduate nursing students.
• To understand how students' life experiences inform their values about nursing.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study involving 161 undergraduate nursing students at an English university.
• Thematic content analysis and frequency distribution were employed to analyze student responses.
• Data were collected in 2013.

Main Results:

• Most identified student values were not significantly impacted by paid care experience.
• Five key themes emerged: 'How I want care to be,' 'Making a difference,' 'The value of learning,' 'Perceived characteristics of a nurse,' and 'Respecting our humanity.'
• Students effectively utilized their lived experiences to articulate person-centered nursing values.

Conclusions:

• Beginning nursing students' core values are strongly rooted in their life experiences, emphasizing person-centered care.
• Paid care experience showed minimal significant impact on the values of these students at program commencement.
• Educational institutions should recognize the foundational role of lived experience in shaping nursing values during student selection and education.