Australian nursing students' stories of end‐of‐life care simulation

Because nurses are at the forefront of end‐of‐life care, it is imperative that nursing students are prepared for this role upon graduation. Research suggests that many nursing students are unprepared to deliver compassionate and quality end‐of‐life care. There have been many attempts to address this need; one emerging method is end‐of‐life care simulation. This paper explores the experiences of 18 undergraduate nursing students of end‐of‐life care simulation. Participants' stories were obtained via observation during end‐of‐life care simulation, audio‐recorded post simulation debriefing, and semi‐structured interviews. Using Clandinin and Connolly's three dimensions of Narrative Inquiry (temporality, spatiality, and sociality) participants' stories reflected convergence of time, place, and person. Findings revealed three distinct plotlines along a time continuum, specifically surrounding time of death: (i) “The privilege of end‐of‐life care;” (ii) “Witnessing death as surreal;” and (iii) “The honor of providing after‐death care.” Participants' narratives suggest that end‐of‐life care simulation is an important means of preparing students for clinical end‐of‐life care experiences. This has implications for nursing educators wishing to consider simulation in end‐of‐life care education.