Nursing students' perceptions of their experiences with fathers during their family nursing clinical practicum

Abstract

There is consensus that supporting fathers' involvement in their children's care is essential and that nurses can play an important role, facilitating this process. There is little evidence about how nurses' education as family nurses enable them to work with fathers. This study aimed to explore undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of their experience with fathers during family nursing clinical practicum. An exploratory descriptive qualitative study allowed twelve nursing students to participate in a one-hour interview, at a university of Central Canada. The critical incident technique was used for data collection and analysis was done with N Vivo7. Four themes reflected students' experiences: Experiencing critical events with fathers; Perceiving fathers and father involvement as important; Building a relationship with fathers and Reflecting upon formal education and clinical practicum. Family nurses need to revisit their attitudes towards fathers and make space for this important member of the family in health care situations.