Background

Creative strategies are needed in nurse education to integrate theory, practice and lived experiences. Towards that end, reflective seminars, conducted in congruence with reflective lifeworld theory and caring science, were implemented during a three-year nursing programme. The reflection seminars took place during the theoretical parts of education and the clinical placements. Each reflection group consisted of six to nine students, and the seminars were led by a lecturer from the university.

Objectives

This article aims to describe the experiences of learning about caring science by participating in reflective seminars that were integrated into courses during a three-year nursing education programme.

Design

A phenomenological approach was used, and qualitative group interviews were conducted.

Setting

The study was conducted at a university in southern Sweden.

Participants

Twenty three students, 19 women and four men, volunteered to participate. All participants were at the end of a three-year nurse education programme. Data were collected through four group interviews with five to seven participants in each group.

Methods

This study used a reflective lifeworld research approach based on phenomenological philosophy.

Results

The findings reveal that nursing students experience reflective seminars as being valuable for their professional development. The result is described in more detail via four meaning units: An obtained awareness of the value of reflection in clinical practice; Reflection contributes to an approach of thoughtfulness; Caring science has become second nature, and Reflection as a strength and a challenge at the threshold of a profession.

Conclusions

This study contributes to the understanding of reflective seminars grounded in lifeworld theory as a didactic strategy that enables students to increase their knowledge of caring science and develop their reflective skills.