Untold and unexpected clinical practice stress, nursing students' experience of disgust: A phenomenological approach

Background: In the clinical learning environment, nursing students often face situations that cause physical disgust. Previous studies have shown that more than half of the students experienced disgust, and that high disgust sensitivity in students was related to negative results in terms of academic and caring behavior.Objectives: This study aims to understand the experience of disgust felt by nursing students in a clinical learning environment.Design: A qualitative study using phenomenological method.Methods: In-depth, one-on-one interviews were conducted with 18 nursing students at a university in South Korea. The data obtained through the interviews were used to explore the essential structure and meaning of disgust using phenomenological analysis.Results: This study derived four categories, nine theme clusters, and twenty-one themes. The four categories were fear that stimulates the senses, untold and unexpected clinical practice stress, ambivalence towards myself and patients, and struggling to become a nursing professional.Conclusions: Nurse educators must be aware that nursing students may feel disgust in clinical settings and are therefore under stress. They must also assist students so that their concerns caused by emotions that they cannot easily reveal do not affect their nursing careers.

Automated summary

This study aims to understand the experience of disgust felt by nursing students in a clinical learning environment. The study found that nursing students experience disgust during their learning process, and high disgust sensitivity is related to negative outcomes in terms of academic and caring behavior. Therefore, nurse educators should be aware of students' potential disgust and stress in clinical settings, and provide support to help students address their emotions and prevent them from impacting their nursing careers.