Motivations et attentes des étudiants inscrits à un diplôme d'université de soins palliatifs

The motivations and expectations of students undertaking a university diploma in palliative care are numerous. To better adapt the teaching and aid the students in their personnel development, we asked them to complete a questionnaire (eight open questions) at the beginning of their training. The questionnaire was analysed using, from human sciences, content method. From 95 students enrolled, 75 replied (37 nurses, 23 assistant carers or student carers, four doctors, a pharmacist, four health care managers, four psychologists or psychology students and two volunteers). The principle motivations were the acquisition of skills (58), the desire to support the patients and their families (23), and the wish to improve the quality of the care (17), but the expectations (professional and personal) were, above all, mastering emotions and increased self-awareness in establishing and maintaining a suitable patient-carer relationship (33). The results of the survey will allow us to adapt the teaching to a student-centred approach, allowing for cognitive, emotional and motivational factors, as well as professional and personal differences. So, we will include dealing with the emotional and communicational aspects of the patient-carer relationship in the training programme. However, and contrary to the opinion of the majority of the students expressed in the questionnaire, palliative care is not reducible to the relational aspect of the care alone. The notions of evaluation tools, interdisciplinarity, courses of care and treatment, life plans, ethics, mourning, and spirituality, although little mentioned, are fundamental in palliative care. They should be included more widely in training.