"The closest touch to death in psychiatric nursing practice": Experiences of nursing students in a psycho-oncology unit

Caring for a person with a cancer diagnosis is challenging, especially for nursing students at the beginning of their professional careers. Although there has been previous research on the experiences of students in oncology units, there have been none to date on their experiences in a psycho-oncology unit. In this qualitative study, we evaluated the experiences of nursing students practicing in a psycho-oncology unit. This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with nursing students who practiced in the psycho-oncology unit of a comprehensive oncology hospital in Turkey. A total of 23 nursing students, 15 females, and 8 males, with a mean age of 22.73 years, described their practical experience in the Psycho-Oncology Unit of a comprehensive cancer hospital. A content analysis of the student narratives identified three main themes: gains, emotional dissonance, and challenges. The students stated that working with a person who is close to death is a very challenging experience, but it has many professional gains. When student statements are evaluated, practice in a psycho-oncology unit is considered a valuable contribution to learning. However, the results of this study suggest that bachelor's degree nursing students require more education and mentoring on cancer care. We recommend that students gain more education and experience in fields such as psycho-oncology and consultation-liaison psychiatry earlier in their education. More research is needed into the experiences of student nurses practicing in psycho-oncology units.