First death experiences of newly graduated nurses: A qualitative phenomenological study

Newly graduated nurses typically face death for the first time during the transition to their professional careers. This encounter can cause nurses to experience compelling emotions and make it difficult for them to manage and cope with the process of adaptation to the profession and the death process of the patient. This study aims to retrospectively examine and reveal the first death experiences of newly graduated nurses (N = 15) using a retrospective phenomenological method. Analysis of the responses of the newly graduated nurses revealed three themes: first encounter with death, nothing is like before, and support need. Newly graduated nurses realized that their first death experiences change their perspectives on life and profession and that nursing touches human life.

Automated summary

Newly graduated nurses often face death for the first time during their transition into their professional careers, which can result in overwhelming emotions and difficulties in adapting to the profession and the process of patients' death. This study aims to retrospectively examine the first death experiences of 15 newly graduated nurses, revealing that these experiences significantly impact their perspectives on life and profession.