Abstract:
Background: A caring environment in nursing education is one of the most
essential factors for empowering students, which is achieved through trust and
open academic communication. Aim: To explore the experiences of faculty
caring and uncaring behaviours on students learning from the perspective of
university nursing and midwifery students. Methods: Descriptive
phenomenology was used to collect data from 10 nursing and midwifery
students who were purposively selected at a baccalaureate nursing and
midwifery school at a public university in Malawi. Data were collected
through semi-structured interviews from August 24th, 2015 to September 30th,
2015 and analysed using Colaizzi’s (1978) method. Ethical considerations
were followed.
Results: Two sub-themes which emerged under the main theme of
experiences of faculty caring behaviours which were: (1) Increased motivation
(2) Increased confidence and Competence, whilst three sub-themes which
emerged under the main theme of experiences of faculty uncaring behaviours
were: (1) Poor performance (2) A risk to patients (3) Feeling helpless and
embarrassed. Conclusion: Experiences of students with caring and uncaring
faculty had an influence on students learning, personal well-being and on their
ability to effectively care for their patients. The study recommends that faculty
members should critically analyse their actions and embrace those caring
behaviours that facilitate the process of creating a conducive learning
environment. In addition, there is need to develop a clear policy stipulating the
role of student personal advisors and how students can engage them
