Postgraduate nursing students’ experiences of recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research: a qualitative descriptive study

Existing studies mainly focus on the experience of participation in nursing research from the perspective of advanced cancer patients, less is known about the experience of postgraduate nursing students in recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research, particularly in the Chinese context. This study aimed to understand the experiences of postgraduate nursing students recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research. A qualitative descriptive research method was used. Data were collected between May and September 2024 from three universities in Wuhan, China. Purposive sampling was used. Twenty-one postgraduate nursing students with a history of recruiting advanced cancer patients for nursing research were recruited as participants. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study was reported using the COREQ checklist. Four themes were identified: “Interest in nursing research,” “Facing challenges and difficulties,” “Empathy and understanding patients,” and “Gaining self-growth.” Participants moved from initial interest, through confronting substantial recruitment barriers, to developing empathy and ultimately achieving professional and personal growth. This evolution highlights the resilience students developed in overcoming recruitment challenges. The experience of postgraduate nursing students in recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research is an ever-changing process with some setbacks and difficulties. Still, postgraduate nursing students can often adjust themselves in time and grow to some degree. This study focuses on exploring postgraduate nursing students’ experiences in recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research from a new perspective. It emphasizes the importance of providing care and support to postgraduate nursing students, helping them to strengthen their professional identity in the face of difficulties, and promoting the development of cancer nursing.