Akbal Demirci Yağmur, Aşik Özdemir Vacide, Pehlivan Köksal Zeynep, Genç Köse Burcu, Pekmezci Hilal
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Rize, Turkey.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Department of Nursing Administration, Rize, Turkey.
Nurs Crit Care. 2025 Sep;30(5):e70160. doi: 10.1111/nicc.70160.
Clinical practice in the ICU is critical in shaping nursing students' professional development and enhancing their understanding of patient care.
This study examined the feelings, thoughts and experiential reflections of nursing students during their initial exposure to the intensive care unit (ICU), focusing on their perspectives on the first and last day of clinical practice.
The study employed a phenomenological design and was conducted in a province in north-eastern Turkey. Data were collected from 13 nursing students who participated in ICU clinical practice for the first time as part of the Internal Medicine Nursing course during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Three main themes emerged from students' accounts of their first-day experiences in the ICU: 'negative emotions', 'positive emotions' and 'areas for improvement'. Participants commonly described the intensive care experience as physically exhausting, emotionally overwhelming, and, at times, shocking and frightening. Additionally, students acknowledged that the ICU accurately reflects the nursing profession but described the overall atmosphere as cold. They also mentioned that the critical nature of the ICU could make it a frightening experience. Although ICUs were perceived as professionally fulfilling environments, participants noted that improvements are needed in several areas, including increasing the number of visitors allowed, enhancing physical conditions and addressing nurse staffing shortages. At the end of the 14-week clinical practice, students' final evaluations of the ICU revealed two main themes: 'increase in professional experience' and 'positive emotions'.
The findings indicate that the negative emotions experienced by nursing students at the beginning of their ICU practice were replaced by positive emotions by the end of the clinical training. The results provide a valuable resource for developing supportive strategies to enhance nursing students' adaptation to ICU clinical practice.
Our findings show that the effectiveness of clinical practice in the ICU on students significantly contributes to the nursing profession by transforming negative emotions such as anxiety experienced in the first days into professional development and awareness over time.
重症监护病房（ICU）的临床实践对于塑造护生的专业发展以及增强他们对患者护理的理解至关重要。
本研究考察了护生初次接触重症监护病房期间的感受、想法和经验反思，重点关注他们在临床实践首日和末日的观点。
本研究采用现象学设计，在土耳其东北部的一个省份开展。数据收集自13名护生，他们在2023 - 2024学年作为内科护理课程的一部分首次参与ICU临床实践。
从学生对在ICU首日经历的描述中浮现出三个主要主题：“负面情绪”、“正面情绪”和“改进领域”。参与者普遍将重症监护体验描述为身体疲惫、情绪难以承受，有时还令人震惊和恐惧。此外，学生们承认ICU准确反映了护理职业，但称整体氛围冷淡。他们还提到ICU的危急性质可能使其成为可怕的经历。尽管ICU被视为能实现职业成就感的环境，但参与者指出在几个方面需要改进，包括增加允许探视的人数、改善物理条件以及解决护士人员短缺问题。在为期14周的临床实践结束时，学生对ICU的最终评价揭示了两个主要主题：“专业经验增加”和“正面情绪”。
研究结果表明，护生在ICU实践开始时经历的负面情绪在临床培训结束时被正面情绪所取代。这些结果为制定支持策略以增强护生对ICU临床实践的适应能力提供了宝贵资源。
我们的研究结果表明，ICU临床实践对学生的有效性通过将最初几天经历的焦虑等负面情绪随着时间的推移转化为专业发展和意识，对护理职业有显著贡献。
