Australian nursing students' stories of end-of-life care simulation

Because nurses are at the forefront of end-of-life care, it is imperative that nursing students are prepared for this role upon graduation. Research suggests that many nursing students are unprepared to deliver compassionate and quality end-of-life care. There have been many attempts to address this need; one emerging method is end-of-life care simulation. This paper explores the experiences of 18 undergraduate nursing students of end-of-life care simulation. Participants' stories were obtained via observation during end-of-life care simulation, audio-recorded post simulation debriefing, and semi-structured interviews. Using Clandinin and Connolly's three dimensions of Narrative Inquiry (temporality, spatiality, and sociality) participants' stories reflected convergence of time, place, and person. Findings revealed three distinct plotlines along a time continuum, specifically surrounding time of death: (i) The privilege of end-of-life care; (ii) Witnessing death as surreal; and (iii) The honor of providing after-death care. Participants' narratives suggest that end-of-life care simulation is an important means of preparing students for clinical end-of-life care experiences. This has implications for nursing educators wishing to consider simulation in end-of-life care education.