Caring behaviours demonstrated to nursing students in the interpersonal relation with the faculty: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background: Nursing students need to experience caring in their educational environment in order to learn how to care for the patients. Objective: The present study describes the caring model demonstrated by the faculty to the nursing students through their behaviours, from the perspective of both students and faculty members. Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study was conducted. Participants: The sample included 286 students and faculty members. Methods: The Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Instructor Caring assessing tool was used to gather the data. Results: After analysing 676 questionnaires, it was revealed a moderately high level of caring perceived by the students. The most appreciated dimension was control versus flexibility, reporting a mean value of 82.29 and a confidence interval from 81.14 to 83.44, and the least valued was appreciation of life’s meanings, reporting a mean value of 63.90 and a confidence interval from 62.20 to 65.60. The students’ perception of the care demonstrated by the faculty was significantly lower than the care that the latter believed to transmit in all dimensions (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The caring perceived by the student was expressed through behaviours that inspired confidence in them, promoted a climate of learning and support, helped them to recognise the meaning of life, showed them f lexibility and fostered their professional autonomy. The findings of this study can help to improve nursing education by providing a view of the interpersonal relations that the students established during their training with the faculty.