First Semester Nursing Student Perceptions of Their Knowledge of and Difficulties in Performing Supportive Caring Actions

Abstract

Students in nursing education do not need to have any experience of having worked in health care prior to entering the program. A total of 123 students rated their perceived knowledge and degree of difficulty in performing supportive caring actions during the first semester of their nursing education. The study, which has a descriptive approach, has been carried out using the Verbal and Social Interaction for Nursing Students (VSI-NS) questionnaire that contains four factors: inviting to talk about feeling and thoughts, building a caring relationship, encouraging social and practical aspects in daily life, and caring towards health and well-being. The results of the study showed that the nursing students rated a high level of knowledge about supportive caring actions, but that these could be difficult to perform. The only significant difference was between male and female nursing students, where the male nursing students considered that it was more difficult to create a caring relationship than their female counterparts.