When a Life Ends: Lived Experiences of Nurse Learners’ Encounter with the Death of a Client

Abstract

This study aimed to explore and characterize the experiences of nurse learners who encountered clients’ death. This phenomenon is about the nurse learners’ experiences before dealing with the dying client, during the performance of nursing interventions to the client, the feelings and emotions after the client were confirmed dead, how they coped after the incident, how the encounter motivated them, and how the whole experience changed their lives. To facilitate the data gathering process which is face-to-face interview, we formulated an interview guide that encompasses open-ended questions relative to the experience of the nurse learners. The data collected through face-to-face interviews were transcribed in a verbatim manner, and were processed using Colaizzi’s 7-step method of data analysis. A total of eleven (11) respondents were chosen through purposive sampling. Respondent validation and constant comparison were done to establish the consistency of data collected. We were able to construct five (5) domains that made up the lived experiences. Foremost domain is “A Heart Stop, I Think, I Move” which refers to what the participants felt before and during they were performing nursing interventions to the client. It also includes what nursing interventions they provided their clients. The said domain has four (4) themes, namely: “Stop, Look, Listen, and Feel”, “I think, therefore I am”, “Pushing hard, pushing fast”, and “Caring ‘til the last breath of life”. The next domain is “A Life ends, Pain starts” which refers to what the participants did and felt after the doctors declared the death of the client. It includes the performance of postmortem care to the client’s lifeless body, how the participants comforted the bereaved family members of the clients who are grieving by that time, and the emotions felt by the participants. This domain is broken into two (2) themes: “Caring for Hearts Left Behind”, and “Life ends, Heart breaks”. The third domain “Mending a broken heart” discusses about how the participants coped and adapted with the death of their client. The main themes are: “Suppressing my Heart”, “Unloading the Burdens of the Heart”, and “Thinking Positive Thoughts”. The fourth domain is “Accepting the Heart of the Matter” contains how the nurse learners accepted the experience. This domain is composed of one (1) theme which is: “I know its part of me”. The last domain is identified as “A Heart Stronger than before”, bears two themes: “Motivated to do better” and “Learning from my past”. Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn: 1) Rendering care and performing nursing interventions to the clients depend on the knowledge and skills the nurse learners possess. The knowledge we have is the key for us nurse learners to deal with the clients’ death. As a student, hesitance and anxiety when performing interventions are present. Furthermore, these feelings affect care that we provide to our clients. 2) Clients’ death has an impact on nurse learners either emotionally or psychologically. 3) Coping with clients’ death differ to each individual, depending on the availability of resources or relationship with other people. 4) Nurse Learner understands that the death of a client is part of their profession. 5) The death of a client becomes a motivation for nurse learners to do better in learning and in performing nursing care. Considering the conclusions and findings of the study, the following recommendations are hereby proposed: 1) Nurse Learners should review and practice the Basic Life Support (BLS) principle. The College should consider teaching BLS as early as the second year before duties start. 2) Nurse learners may integrate with their learning both education and practice about death. 3) Clinical facilitators should assess and debrief nurse learners who encountered clients’ death and help them to cope with the experience. 4) The concept of death and spirituality should be taught earlier to nurse learners. 5) Nurse learners may understand and assimilate through practice in the nursing profession especially to encounter the death of a client.