Clinical practice of psychiatric nursing from the perspective of senior nursing students: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to explore senior nursing students' feelings, thoughts, and experiences regarding the clinical practice of the psychiatric nursing course.
METHODS: A phenomenological approach was used in the research carried out in a qualitative design. The research sample consisted of 15 students who took a mental health and psychiatric nursing course at a private university and performed their clinical practice in a mental health and diseases training and research hospital. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview form and focus group interview method at the end of the fall semester, and the grades were finalized. The data analysis was carried out based on the content analysis method developed by Lundman and Graneheim. The COREQ checklist was followed during the reporting of the qualitative research.
RESULTS: Two main themes were identified in the research: (1) Conditions Specific to the Psychiatry Clinic: Characteristics that Distinguish It from Other Clinical Practices, and (2) Transition from Theory to Practice: Growth as a Nurse and as a Person.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Students experience stress and fear during clinical practice due to their prejudices against individuals with mental disorders and the physical characteristics of the clinical environment they have entered. To reduce the stress experienced by students in clinical practice and achieve clinical practice learning goals, it is recommended to conduct stakeholder studies involving students and clinical psychiatric nurses by the lecturers of the course.

Keywords: Clinical practice, experiences, nursing student, psychiatric nursing, qualitative study