Messy boundaries: younger students’ experiences of nursing young people in hospital
Jean Shepherd Principal lecturer in children’s nursing, University of Greenwich, London
Jean Shepherd examines the personal challenges that face nursing students when caring for patients close to their own age
Aims To explore the experience of younger students of children’s nursing when required to care for clients of similar age in hospital, and their concerns in relation to professional boundaries.
Methods A phenomenological study was undertaken as a requirement of the doctorate in education programme. Individual unstructured interviews were conducted with 11 students under 20 years of age, and nine of their young clients.
Findings The students described the difficulties of trying to balance being a friend to the young people to gain trust, with maintaining a professional relationship.
Conclusion Students of children’s nursing should be encouraged to relate to their clients of similar age in a professional way that inspires trust and therapeutic engagement. For this the students need the support and guidance of their tutors, mentors and peers.
Nursing Children and Young People.
25, 8, 23-26.
doi: 10.7748/ncyp2013.10.25.8.23.e391
Correspondence
j.m.shepherd@gre.ac.uk
Conflict of interest
None declared
Peer review
This article has been subject to open peer review
Received: 24 April 2013
Accepted: 21 June 2013
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