Creating Caring and Empathic Nurses: A Simulated Ostomate

• A total of 135 students donned an ostomy appliance for 48 hours.
• Simulation can promote caring and empathy in nursing students.
• The lived experience of an ostomy simulation was explored.
• Simulation effects depend on the quality of the experience.
• Simulated ostomates had a variety of emotional outcomes.

BackgroundThis qualitative study explored the lived experience of student nurses (N = 69) wearing an ostomy appliance for 48 hours in a clinical simulation experience.MethodThe descriptive phenomenology by Colaizzi (1978) was used to study the question: What are the themes that emerge to describe the lived experience of an ostomate?ResultsFive themes are emerged from written reflections.ConclusionStudents' retention and application of the information learned in simulation may influence clinical practice and improve patient outcomes. Insight into nursing students' transformation on caring and empathy into their practice, the art of nursing, was gleaned from this study.