Are You Prepared to Save a Life? Nursing Students' Experience in Advanced Life Support Practice

The objective of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of nursing students after applying advanced life support techniques on a hospitalised patient in cardiac arrest in a simulated setting. A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was conducted. Fifty-four nursing students from the University of Almería (Spain) participated. Three main themes and six subthemes were identified, which illustrate the experiences and perceptions of nursing students about performing advanced life support. The main themes were: (1) Analysing practice as part of the learning process, with the subthemes "working in an unknown environment" and "acquiring knowledge as the key to success"; (2) Facing reality: nursing students' perceptions of an emergency situation, with the subthemes "facing stressful elements" and "emotional impact in emergency situations"; (3) Experience as a key element to integrating advanced life support into the healthcare setting, with the subthemes "discovering and facing the experience as a team" and "linking and transferring the situation to a real clinical setting". The nursing students reported that the process of practising for an emergency situation through simulation was a fundamental part of their training, as it allowed them to acquire skills necessary for emergency situations and improve their clinical performance in advanced life support. In addition, they considered the experience a key element in integrating advanced life support into the healthcare setting. The results of this study highlight the need to develop and implement training programs focused on clinical and teamwork skills in nursing programs.