Ethical challenges and reflection. Norwegian bachelor students’ experiences during clinical placement in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Background: Clinical placements in nursing abroad are important for awareness and ethical reflections for Norwegian bachelor students in nursing. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of Norwegian nursing students’ experiences during clinical placements in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on their ethical challenges. Methods: Eight third-year Norwegian bachelor’s degree nursing students carried out their clinical placement in Sub-Saharan Africa for 12 weeks. The data was based on one focus group interview and individual written assignments. Systematic text condensation was used to analyse the narratives of nursing students regarding challenges during their clinical placement. The COREQ checklist was applied. The study was approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data. The country where the study found place, is anonymised to a country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Results: The students describe their clinical studies as challenging and educational. They often found themselves in contexts where ethical nursing dilemmas and problems occurred. The students described how they managed to solve the different ethical challenges with the help of ethical reflection. Conclusion: Increasing awareness about ethical challenges in clinical practice seems important for student mobility and the ability to follow up nursing students in clinical placement abroad.

Keywords

• Nursing education
• Ethical reflection
• Cultural sensitivity