Karen Parsons
Memorial University School of Nursing, Canada
Title: Art-based inquiry as a means of interpreting the meaning of caring in first and fourth year nursing students
Biography
Biography: Karen Parsons
Abstract
A qualitative research study using hermeneutic phenomenology was used to determine the meaning of caring in nursing for first and fourth year nursing students at Memorial University School of Nursing, Newfoundland, Canada. The specific objectives of the study were 1) To use art-based inquiry as an approach to facilitate reflection on the meaning of caring in nursing. 2) To understand the meaning of caring and the caring relationship in nursing practice for first and fourth year nursing practice. 3) To identify nursing behaviors perceived as caring by first and fourth year nursing students. 4) To identify how fourth year nursing students have experienced the nurse-patient caring relationship in their clinical practice. 5) To compare first and fourth year students’ perceptions of the meaning of caring and the caring relationship in order to assess overall change from years 1 to 4. 6) To identify sources of support for and deterrents to the development of the nurse-patient caring relationship in fourth year nursing students. 7) To inform nursing curricula in the development of a caring framework across all years of the nursing curriculum. Each student was asked to paint a picture that represented the concept of caring in nursing. After completion of the painting, each student took part in one semi-structured face-to-face interview with the resarcher. Data analysis followed the five-step method of textual analysis described by Diekelmann, Allen and Tanner (1989). From the data several themes were identified that addressed the study objectives.