Experiences in Taking and Giving Shift Reports among Nursing Students in a Bachelor of Nursing Science Program

Abstract

        This qualitative research aims to explore the meaning and experiences in taking and giving shift reports among nursing students in a Bachelor of Nursing Science program. The data were collected through in-depth interviews, using semi-structured interview guided questions. The instrument was reviewed for content validity by five experts, with the IOC of 0.95. The informants, selected through purposive sampling, were 16 fourth-year nursing students from the Faculty of Nursing at a university in Bangkok. The data were validated through triangulation and were analyzed using thematic analysis.

        From the study, six themes involving taking and giving shift reports emerged: 1) the meaning of taking and giving shift reports, 2) enthusiasm for collecting information before practice, 3) expectations regarding the teaching on the ward by senior nurses and in class by instructors, 4) fear and stress, 5) pride, and 6) good and bad examples in giving shift reports.

        Our findings demonstrate that the skill in taking and giving shift reports is essential to professional nurses from their undergraduate years, as it constitutes two intended learning outcomes of the Bachelor of Nursing Science program, that is, communication and interpersonal skills. Therefore, taking and giving shift reports should be integrated into the theoretical and practical parts of the curriculum. It should be further researched and developed as a clinical nursing practice guideline for nurses and nursing students, and should be considered a major communicative competence for nurses, which helps ensure continuity and safety of patient care.