How do Graduate Entry Nursing students in Aotearoa New Zealand experience the development of empathy?

Category

Health and Environmental Sciences

Description of research project

In Aotearoa New Zealand, until 2014 the only pathway to become a registered nurse required students to complete an undergraduate Bachelor of Health Science degree. The introduction of an accelerated two-year graduate entry nursing (GEN) degree allows graduates from any discipline to pursue a master’s degree leading to nursing registration. The Master of Nursing Science as a GEN degree is new to Aotearoa and therefore lacks extensive research.

Empathy is a fundamental nursing skill, as it facilitates a safe patient-nurse relationship and improves health outcomes. However, due to the newness of these programmes, little is known about the experience of GEN students developing empathy. The aim of this research is to understand how GEN students experience empathy in clinical practice.

The research uses a Hermeneutic Phenomenological approach, where dialogue is used to gain a deeper understanding of the experience of empathy development. Dialogue is collected via interviewing. This is a one-off interview, which can be conducted in person or online via Microsoft Teams.
The time commitment for participating in this research is up to 40 minutes. Each participant will receive a koha of a $50 grocery voucher.

Inclusion and/or exclusion criteria

You are invited to participate in this research if you meet the following criteria:
1. You are 18 or older,
2. You are enrolled in a Graduate Entry Nursing Programme,
3. You have completed your first year of the graduate entry nursing programme you are enrolled in,
4. You are willing and able to be in an online or a face-to-face interview,
5. You can speak English,
6. You have lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for at least six months.
Participation in this research is voluntary and your details will be kept completely confidential.

Statement of ethics approval

Approved by the Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee on 2023-12-14 for 3 years.

AUTEC approval number

23/364

Contact person

Amanda Badger, amanda.badger@aut.ac.nz

Participant information sheet

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