From loss to calling: Nursing students’ experiences of family terminal illness and death in the formation of professional identity and humanistic care

Many students are drawn to nursing through altruism and cultural moral values. This qualitative study examined nursing graduates who experienced the terminal illness and death of a close family member, providing them with early exposure to clinical settings and shaping their emotional insight and sensitivity to the psychosocial dimensions of end-of-life care. Their experiences often deepened their desire to enter the nursing profession and deliver compassionate, humanistic, family-centered care as clinical practitioners. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted via digital platforms between January and February 2025. Data were analyzed using an inductive reflexive thematic approach. Key themes included "nursing as a living legacy of a loved one's illness," "coping with emotional challenges during training," "shaping identity through personal loss," and "forming perspectives on death and dying."