Exploring the experiences of first-year nursing students in a private Nursing Education Institution in Gauteng

Abstract

First year nursing students’ experiences are likely to influence the nursing population and the workforce. It is critical to understand the experiences that student nurses face during their first year of study and how these experiences affect their completion of the Nursing Diploma course. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the first-year nursing students’ experiences, how they impact on their academic performance and their coping mechanisms in a selected private nursing education institution (NEI) in Gauteng in order to make recommendations for how the NEI can assist the students. A qualitative exploratory descriptive design was used in this study. Data was collected from second year nursing students who were interviewed on their previous year’s experiences in a private nursing institution in Gauteng by means of semi-structured telephonic interviews. The researcher ensured adherence to ethical principles and measures of trustworthiness throughout the study. Data was collected and analysed using Creswell’s (2018) data analysis approach. Four themes were generated from the qualitative data collection and analysis. Recommendations for nursing education, practice and research were made.