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."
Glick et al. (Sun,) studied this question.