The process and indicators of resilience among nursing students in clinical practicum in Taiwan: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Resilience is essential for managing stress and maintaining equilibrium. During the clinical practicum, nursing students may experience tremendous physical and mental stress, and these negative experiences are considered a source of resilience for students. However, no universal definition of resilience among nursing students exists in the literature, occasioning the need to define the processes and indicators of resilience. PURPOSE: This study aims to explore the resilience process and indicators among nursing students in clinical practicum in Taiwan. Participants: Fifteen fifth-year junior college nursing students in Northeastern Taiwan who had completed the clinical practicum were interviewed, including 12 females and three males. All participants were aged 20.3 ± 0.61 years and all participants had clinical practicum experiences over four months. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study, using purposive and snowball sampling methods, was conducted to collect the experience of the nursing students in their internship. Data were collected using a semi-structured guide and deep interviews, and analyzed through the content analysis method by Waltz, Strickland, & Lenz (2010). RESULTS: Based on the participants’ practical experiences during their clinical practicum, three main themes and nine indicators were identified. The resilience of nursing students is considered a process. The main themes are (1) uncontrolled clinical practical stress, (2) Maintain learning-life balance, (3) Positive attitude toward nursing. CONCLUSIONS: Resilience is a critical factor to stabilize nursing students and enable them to recover from adversity. Both positive and negative experiences significantly impacted the students' attitudes and confidence levels during the clinical practicum. The findings will provide faculty to adapt their teaching method to various situations of nursing students.