Undergraduate nurse students' perspectives of spiritual care education in an Australian context

Background: The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council competency standards highlight the need to provide holistic care that is inclusive of spiritual care. Literature shows that internationally many nurses feel unsure of how to provide spiritual care which has been attributed to a lack of spiritual care education during undergraduate nursing programs. Aim: This study explores the impact of a spiritual care subject in an undergraduate nursing program in an Australian tertiary institution. Method: Qualitative research design using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Setting: A tertiary institution with a Christian orientation in Sydney, Australia. Participants: Six undergraduate nursing students who had completed the spiritual care subject. Data Results: Two themes emerged from the data: Seeing the person as a whole and Being with the person. Conclusions: The spiritual care subject had a positive impact on the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students. In particular students perceived themselves more prepared to provide holistic care that was inclusive of spiritual care.