Trauma-informed care: Insights from a Q-methodology study of advanced practice registered nursing students

Trauma-informed care (TIC) aims to create a safe and supportive healthcare environment that empowers patients and cultivates understanding of the role trauma plays in short-term and long-term health. TIC also has the potential to improve health outcomes and foster clinician wellness. Nurse educators must design evidence-based instruction to develop advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who deliver high-quality TIC while also protecting their own wellbeing.

To identify patterns in subjective viewpoints about TIC among APRN students and describe how those patterns influence their learning experience in an advanced health assessment course.

Q methodology was used to explore student perceptions of TIC.

A virtual advanced health assessment course at a large, midwestern university in the United States.

Ninety-five APRN students from six specialty APRN programs.

Students completed an online Q-sort activity by ranking 32 TIC statements according to how well the statements aligned with their own perspectives. Q-sorts were analyzed using factor analysis and narrative responses to open-ended questions.

Four factors were extracted that revealed different student viewpoints on TIC and their learning experiences: Comfortable/Confident Learners, Uncomfortable/Apprehensive Learners, Empathetic/Hesitant Learners, and Inexperienced/Uncertain Learners.

All students acknowledged the need to learn about TIC to implement it effectively in practice. It is important for faculty to understand the potential range of divergent student viewpoints about TIC and acknowledge, accept, and support students who have anxiety related to learning about TIC.