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Aim: To describe first-year nursing students' experiences of witnessing death and providing end-of-life care. Methods: This study is part of a larger longitudinal project. Interviews (n=17) were conducted with nursing students at the end of their first year of education. To analyse the interviews (lived-experience descriptions), a thematic analysis, 'a search for meaning' (Van Manen, 1997) was applied. Results:The results are presented within the framework of four separate themes: (1) The thought of death is more frightening than the actual experience, (2) Daring to approach the dying patient and offering something of oneself, (3) The experience of not sufficing in the face of death and (4) Being confronted with one's own feelings. Conclusion: Nursing students require continuous support and opportunity to reflect and discuss their experiences about caring for dying patients and confronting death throughout the entirety of their education. In addition, teachers and clinical supervisors need to give support using reflective practice to help students to develop confidence in their capacity for caring for dying patients.

Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Björk, M., Sundler, A. J., Hallström, I., & Hammarlund, K. (2016). Like being covered in a wet and dark blanketParents' lived experiences of losing a child to cancer. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 25, 40-45. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejon.2016 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.• Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research.• You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Conclusion: There is a need for good palliative care. If not, there is a risk that the parent will perseverate and blame themselves for not being a good parent during the suffering child's last time in life. Meetings with the parents six months and two years after the child's death might facilitate healing through the grief process.

Age, earlier care experience and education, experiences of meeting a dying person and place of birth seems to affect students' attitudes toward care of the dying and need to be considered among nursing educators.

This study provides useful information on students' reasoning about emotionally demanding questions relating to the care of dying patients. Such knowledge is valuable in helping students to overcome their fear and fulfil their expectations concerning their future proficiency.