The aim of this study was to analyze the current status of end-of-life (EoL) care education of the undergraduate nursingcurriculum and senior students' EoL care experience and competency.
Only 20% among 41 nursing schools opened an EoL care course as an elective, and the course was taken by 5.1% students. Of 622 students, 70.7% witnessed death of patients during their clinical training, but 74.8% received no or little education on EoL care from their clinical training instructors. Two of 38 education contents on EoL care were taught in class for over 80% of the students. All students scored below 3 points (2.31±0.66) for all 17 competencies, which means that they cannot perform EoL care.
CONCLUSION:
This study showed that there was a serious deficiency in undergraduate nursing education on EoL care. Accordingly, most nursing studentswho would graduate soon considered themselves incapable of performing EoL care. Nurses experience death and dying as a part of their practice and should be prepared to provide adequate EoL care. Therefore, it is urgent to improve EoL care training in the undergraduate nursing education.