Does witnessing or participating in cardiopulmonary resuscitation affect student nurses?

Abstract

The purpose of this research proposal is to explore the affect that witnessing or participating in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has on student nurses. This study will explore what student nurses experiences of witnessing or participating in CPR are and, more specifically, will uncover the amount and types of support that these students have received after their experiences with CPR and the effect that the support had on them. Being a student nurse is demanding, students are expected to work both full time clinical placement hours and keep up with university assignments and exams. To then be faced with the further strain of witnessing an event that could be traumatic for a student for, quite possibly, the first time the stress that students find themselves under can become too much. This is why providing student nurses with enough support to get through these experiences is vital for preventing student nurses from dropping out of the course or becoming emotionally distressed. Over the course of two months the opportunity to participate in this study will be offered to all third and fourth year students at a small university in Scotland. Of these students it is hoped that ten will participate in the study. Those who are willing to participate in the study will be invited to an interview, where the research team aims to gain qualitative data regarding their experiences, feelings and thoughts. The findings of this study aim to uncover if students are receiving adequate support within clinical placements and how much the support that they do receive influences their emotions and ability to continue on the course. It is hoped that the findings of this research will offer information to both universities and clinical placement areas regarding the amount of support student nurses need after witnessing or participating in CPR. Furthermore this information should ensure that students are being offered this support from their clinical placement areas or universities after CPR.