Caring competencies of baccalaureate nursing students of samar state university

Abstract

Background: Caring is a core nursing value and a desirable attribute in nursing students. This study was conducted to investigate and determine student nurses’ caring competencies as perceived by patients. Furthermore, it proposed a caring intervention guide which could be used to build and enhance student’s caring behaviors that can be adapted to clinical situations.

Methods: This investigation primarily employed a descriptive research design to determine the caring competencies of Level IV students of Samar State University as perceived by the patients. A non-probability purposive sampling was utilized in this study. A total of 174 patients who were admitted in the different units of the hospital were taken as respondents. To examine the caring competencies of nursing students, the investigator utilized the modified Cronin and Harrison’s Caring Behavior Assessment Tool. This tool is a 63-item questionnaire that uses a 5-point Likert scale and is based on Watson’s ten Carative Factors and is designed to capture patients’ perceptions of nurses’ caring behaviors.

Results: Results showed that “Know how to give shots, IVs, etc”, “Kind and considerate”, “Help me feel good about myself”, and “Give me treatments and medications on time”, were the highest ranked caring behaviors of student nurses. The subscale “human needs assistance” was rated as highest by patient respondents. The results generated the caring intervention guide that would assist nurse educators to improve students’ caring practices.

Conclusion: Findings give high regards to Jean Watson’s assumptions that caring is demonstrated by using actions based on theoretical knowledge that help patient to achieve health while maintaining respect, self-worth and autonomy.