Students’ perceptions of preparedness for delivering palliative and end-of-life care as they transition to registered nurse

Background: Ensuring that nurses are prepared for the delivery of palliative care is essential to the provision of high-quality palliative and end-of-life care. Education plays a key role in the preparation but may encompass more than skills competence. Aim: To understand student nurses’ perceptions of their preparation and experiences of delivering palliative and end-of-life care as they complete their BSc Adult Nursing pre-registration programme. Methods: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore student nurses’ perceptions of delivering palliative and end-of-life care. Four in-depth interviews were conducted over Microsoft Teams. All participants were third-year nursing students at the end of their nursing programme. Findings: Participants described feelings of ‘shock’ and ‘backlash’ in caring for patients in the palliative and end-of-life stages of illness. Greater theoretical preparation and timing of preparation would have been helpful. Processes and practical tasks acted as ‘comfort blankets’ and ‘buffers’ against the emotional distress. Perceived support is fundamental for student wellbeing. Conclusion: Students who feel anxious and ill prepared may experience emotional fatigue and burnout as they transition to newly qualified nurse.