Are dialogue tools a way to learn compassionate care? A qualitative study

Aim
This study is based on a project inspired by action research with the aim of elucidating how nursing students' compassion could be strengthened through situational supervision in their clinical placement.
Background
Nursing students in Denmark struggle with difficult emotions when caring for suffering people. It affects the formation of their nursing identity, well-being and causes problems with recruitment and retention of nursing students. In a co-creative process between students, supervisors and lecturers different tools was developed to support the students in their reflections on their own experiences and reactions in the encounter with suffering, death or other situations associated with difficult emotions. The questions is how this works.
Design and Method
Data was collected in a qualitative explorative design, where field observations and follow-up interviews with both clinical supervisors and students was performed during autumn 2022 and spring 2023. The study comprised two municipal nursing settings, five hospital settings and four psychiatric settings. Our focus of observation was: What is the approach to compassion in the different arenas and how do the actors perceive and operationalize compassion? How do the clinical supervisors and students work with compassion in the situational supervision? Data will be analyzed in an iterative thematic approach.
Results
The study will contribute with knowledge on how nursing students and clinical supervisors experience working with tools and situational supervision and how this strengthens compassionate care and a professional nursing identity. Results will be presented at the conference.