Recognizing Grace in Grief Through Reflection in Nursing Education: A Qualitative Research Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Emotional Intelligence
• End-of-Life Care

Background:

• Developing emotionally intelligent nurses is crucial for empathetic patient care, especially for dying patients.
• Reflective pedagogy enhances nursing student learning, educational enrichment, and emotional intelligence.
• Traditional nursing education may not adequately prepare students for the emotional complexities of end-of-life care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nursing students' experiences and emotions regarding end-of-life care.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Grace in Grief intervention in fostering emotional intelligence.
• To examine the impact of a student-centered, reflective learning approach on nursing students' attitudes towards death and grief.

Main Methods:

• The Grace in Grief intervention, a student-centered approach incorporating mindful reflection and artistic expression.
• Facilitated classroom discussions, artistic expression, and private reflection on death, grief, and patient care.
• Qualitative thematic analysis of online survey responses from nursing students post-intervention.

Main Results:

• Four emergent themes from qualitative analysis revealed key insights into students' emotional processing.
• Students reported enhanced understanding and navigation of emotions related to death and dying.
• The intervention facilitated a safe space for discussing fears and attitudes towards caring for terminally ill patients.

Conclusions:

• Reflection-based, student-centered learning activities are effective in developing nursing students' emotional intelligence.
• Educators can utilize such interventions to better prepare nurses for compassionate end-of-life care.
• The Grace in Grief intervention shows promise in enhancing nurses' capacity for empathetic care.