Nursing students' first clinical encounters with delirium: a qualitative study of experiential learning and professional development.
- 1Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Başkent University, Bağlıca Kampüsü, Fatih Sultan Mahallesi, Eskişehir Yolu 18. km, Ankara, Türkiye. [email protected].
- 2Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Başkent University, Bağlıca Kampüsü, Fatih Sultan Mahallesi, Eskişehir Yolu 18. km, Ankara, Türkiye.
Abstract
Background
Delirium is a complex neurocognitive condition that is often difficult to recognise and manage in clinical practice. Although nursing students receive theoretical education about delirium during undergraduate training, they may feel inadequately prepared when encountering patients with delirium in real clinical settings, reflecting a persistent theory-practice gap in nursing education. This study aimed to explore nursing students' experiences of their first clinical encounters with patients experiencing delirium.Methods
This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 13 first-semester, fourth-year nursing students at a university in Türkiye who had recently completed delirium-related theoretical education and intensive care clinical placements. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis.Results
Five main themes were identified: (1) making sense of delirium through diagnostic uncertainty; (2) emotional burden, including fear, inadequacy, and empathy; (3) clinical and ethical challenges related to behavioural disturbances and restraint practices; (4) professional learning through role modelling, communication, and increasing self-efficacy; and (5) critical reflections on education, highlighting the limitations of theory-based preparation. Students described their first encounters with delirium as emotionally intense and clinically demanding experiences. Although students initially struggled with uncertainty, fear, and communication difficulties, repeated clinical exposure and supportive nurse role models contributed to the development of professional confidence, communication strategies, and more empathic approaches to delirium care. Students also reported that nurses' attitudes and approaches toward patients influenced their own professional perspectives on nursing care.Conclusions
Nursing students' first encounters with delirium were experienced as both emotionally challenging and professionally transformative. The findings suggest that theoretical education alone may be insufficient to prepare students for the complexity of delirium care. Integrating experiential and practice-oriented educational approaches, such as simulation, case-based learning, and communication-focused training, may help bridge the theory-practice gap and improve students' preparedness, confidence, and competence in delirium care.
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BibTeX
@article{kılıc2026nursing,
title = {{Nursing students' first clinical encounters with delirium: a qualitative study of experiential learning and professional development.}},
author = {Gülşen Kılıç and Sevcan Avcı Işık and Banu Çevi̇k},
journal = {BMC medical education},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12909-026-09980-4},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897595},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nursing students' first clinical encounters with delirium: a qualitative study of experiential learning and professional development.
AU - Gülşen Kılıç
AU - Sevcan Avcı Işık
AU - Banu Çevi̇k
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC medical education
DO - 10.1186/s12909-026-09980-4
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897595
AB - Background Delirium is a complex neurocognitive condition that is often difficult to recognise and manage in clinical practice. Although nursing students receive theoretical education about delirium during undergraduate training, they may feel inadequately prepared when encountering patients with delirium in real clinical settings, reflecting a persistent theory-practice gap in nursing education. This study aimed to explore nursing students' experiences of their first clinical encounters with patients experiencing delirium.Methods This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 13 first-semester, fourth-year nursing students at a university in Türkiye who had recently completed delirium-related theoretical education and intensive care clinical placements. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis.Results Five main themes were identified: (1) making sense of delirium through diagnostic uncertainty; (2) emotional burden, including fear, inadequacy, and empathy; (3) clinical and ethical challenges related to behavioural disturbances and restraint practices; (4) professional learning through role modelling, communication, and increasing self-efficacy; and (5) critical reflections on education, highlighting the limitations of theory-based preparation. Students described their first encounters with delirium as emotionally intense and clinically demanding experiences. Although students initially struggled with uncertainty, fear, and communication difficulties, repeated clinical exposure and supportive nurse role models contributed to the development of professional confidence, communication strategies, and more empathic approaches to delirium care. Students also reported that nurses' attitudes and approaches toward patients influenced their own professional perspectives on nursing care.Conclusions Nursing students' first encounters with delirium were experienced as both emotionally challenging and professionally transformative. The findings suggest that theoretical education alone may be insufficient to prepare students for the complexity of delirium care. Integrating experiential and practice-oriented educational approaches, such as simulation, case-based learning, and communication-focused training, may help bridge the theory-practice gap and improve students' preparedness, confidence, and competence in delirium care.
SN - 1472-6920
ER -