Students' perceptions of empathic instruction in a remote psychiatric nursing class: a phenomenological study

Psychiatric nursing is operated by nursing college students as it introduces abstract concepts and complex materials. The educational environment has undergone extreme changes due to the expansion of remote learning. Thus, it is important to devise strategies for operating psychiatric nursing classes.

In this study, students attended a psychiatric nursing class that used empathic instruction in a virtual space to examine their learning experiences employing a phenomenological research design. Eleven nursing students completed a remote 2-credit psychiatric nursing class offered in a college in Chungbuk, South Korea that used empathic instruction. Data were collected through individual interviews and analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological method of analysis.

The following four themes were derived from the participants' learning experiences: "Interaction as a tool for learning," "Repetitive learning," "Enjoyable but too detailed feedback," "Chance of self-improvement."

Our findings suggest that remote psychiatric nursing classes that use empathic instruction are an effective teaching method that can increase students' interest and academic performance in the subject. Thus, they should create a systematic and structured learning environment according to students' academic levels and promote their reflection.