Nursing students' and faculty's experiences of first medication administration: A phenomenological inquiry

Learning medication administration is essential for nursing students, but the first time can be stressful and shape their clinical development. Previous research primarily focused on student knowledge and technical aspects. This phenomenological study helped explore the lived experiences of nursing...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of professional nursing 2024-05, Vol.52, p.94-101
Main Authors: Paradiso, Cindy, Knoesel, Joanne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Clinical Competence
Clinical experience
Competency
Drug Therapy
Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate
Faculty
Faculty, Nursing - psychology
Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Medication administration
Nurse-Patient Relations
Phenomenological
Qualitative Research
Students, Nursing - psychology
Undergraduate education
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Learning medication administration is essential for nursing students, but the first time can be stressful and shape their clinical development. Previous research primarily focused on student knowledge and technical aspects. This phenomenological study helped explore the lived experiences of nursing students and faculty during student's first medication administration in the clinical setting to gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with female student and faculty informants (N = 12). Using a phenomenological study, data were analyzed using van Manen's hermeneutic six-step research activity method. Five overarching themes were found: administrating medication, (un)preparedness for complexities in the clinical environment, transformative experience, overcoming fears, and reaping the rewards. First-time medication experiences are greater than an exercise in skill proficiency and may be improved if faculty provides more structured learning experiences and take sufficient time for student preparation in relating medication knowledge to the skill, technology usage, and supporting students' attitudes toward nurse-patient interactions. These are essential aspects of the medication administration learning process as nursing programs shift toward competency-based education. Clinical faculty also need support in their role as educators and to be facilitated to find this time, considering their multiple responsibilities. •Students' first medication administration is stressful for them and for faculty.•Faculty should bridge the gap for students between theory and practice.•Clinical faculty need more support to optimize the learning experience.
ISSN:8755-7223
1532-8481
DOI:10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.04.001