Facilitating Holistic Nursing Through the Development of Mindfulness: A Model for Student Nurses.

Holistic nursing should be a goal for all nurses. Patients that receive holistic nursing feel acknowledged, valued, and appreciated. Caring for patients holistically requires student nurses to possess and display attributes of mindfulness and Ubuntu. Student nurses therefore need to be supported and taught how to provide caring holistically to patients while being aware, being present, and conscious in the caring moment. The purpose of this article was to describe the model developed as a frame of reference to facilitate holistic nursing through developing mindfulness and Ubuntu. A theory generative, exploratory, and contextual research design was followed. A diagrammatic structure was constructed after the concept analysis was conducted. The model consisted of three phases with an outcome of a student nurse who is caring holistically and mindfully. The model provides a framework of reference to facilitate holistic nursing through the development of mindfulness. This study adds a model of mindfulness and a lens of looking at mindfulness through an African philosophy of Ubuntu.

Interprofessional education interventions in undergraduate students of musculoskeletal healthcare professions: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Enhancing interprofessional education (IPE) fosters collaborative efforts among healthcare professionals specializing in musculoskeletal (MSK) care. This approach presents a valuable opportunity to address the pressing MSK disease burden in developing countries, with high prevalence rates and limited resources. While an abundance of literature on the various elements of IPE among healthcare students and professionals exists, shared contexts of practice of South African MSK disciplines are not currently developed through IPE at higher education level, establishing a need for South African formalised curricular IPE interventions with an explicit focus on undergraduate students of MSK healthcare professions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The intended scoping review protocol is guided by the framework set out by Arksey and O'Malley, where the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews will guide the process of reporting. English sources (qualitative and quantitative methodological studies, conference papers and proceedings, systematic reviews, grey literature, unpublished materials, theses and dissertations) from the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, ERIC and ProQuest with no date restriction will be included. A researcher, an independent reviewer and research librarian will search and extract data from abstracts and full texts for this scoping review, where any arising disagreements will be resolved by discussion. Reference lists of relevant literature will be scrutinised. Relevant literature will be recorded on a referencing software and deduplicated. The data collection will take place between May and October 2023. The findings will be reported narratively with the use of tables. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This scoping review does not require ethical approval as all literature used already exists in the public domain with no involvement of human participants. The findings from this planned review will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and will be presented at higher education conferences. This scoping review protocol was registered on Open Science Framework with the registration osf.io/c27n4.

Self-care behaviours and practices of professional nurses working in primary health care clinics.

BACKGROUND:  Historically, the nursing profession focused on caring for patients, families and communities but neglected aspects of self-care. Self-care is essential for nurses, as it could impact the quality of care nurses render to patients. AIM:  This article investigated professional nurses' self-care behaviours and practices in primary health care clinics. SETTING:  The study was conducted at selected primary health care facilities (clinics) in regions C and D of the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng. METHODS:  A cross-sectional descriptive research survey. Stratified random sampling was used to select respondents. A demographic questionnaire, Self-Care Activities Screening Scale (SASS-14), Nature of Supportive Work Environment questionnaire and Self-Care Work and Home Environmental Factors (SWHEF) questionnaire were combined as the data collection instrument for this study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the collected data. RESULTS:  The finding revealed health consciousness: 86.6% of professional nurses were alert to changes in their health, and 75.2% constantly examined their health. The average professional nurse slept only 7-8 h every day. While 59.4% of professional nurses who participated in the study seldom ate healthy foods (i.e. foods with less sugar, salt, fried snacks or pre-cooked food), 71.7% rarely ate three fruits and two portions of vegetables daily. Only 57.4% of professional nurses regularly drank eight recommended glasses of water daily. CONCLUSION:  According to the findings, primary health care nurses must prioritise self-care and work in supportive environments.Contribution: The study acknowledged the need to promote self-care and supportive work environments for professional nurses in primary health care setting.

Newly qualified intensive care nurses' lived experiences of being a shift leader in a private healthcare institution in Gauteng, South Africa.

Objective: Newly qualified intensive care nurses (NQICNs) are expected to execute the shift-leading role immediately after graduation. Critical reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, and evidence-based clinical judgment are thus essential skills for intensive care nursing graduates. This study aimed to explore and describe NQICNs' lived experiences of being shift leaders. Methods: This descriptive qualitative study was based on the data collected through semi-structured individual interviews. Five NQICNs in five hospitals from one region in Gauteng, South Africa, were interviewed between September and December 2019. NQICNs working as shift leaders for 10 to 12 months after intensive care training were eligible for inclusion in the study. Data were analyzed using the four steps suggested by Giorgi. Results: The results revealed three themes and seven sub-themes. NQICNs suffered greatly intrapersonally (NQICNs reported intrapersonal suffering, manifesting as pre-shift anxiety, severe work stress, and post-shift exhaustion; NQICNs employed coping mechanisms and either fought, fled, or froze during conflict or crises; NQICNs lack of shift-leading experience did not match their heavy load of responsibilities and accountability); the NQICNs interpersonally matured and empowered themselves (NQICNs experienced support and challenges on an interpersonal level; NQICNs improved their interpersonal relationships and felt proud of and empowered by their professional growth); NQICNs highlighted various requirements to help them manage the high demands of leading shifts (others should fulfill certain needs to enable NQICNs to handle the shift-leading role; self-awareness as a need to enable NQICNs to embrace the shift-leading role). Conclusion: A greater understanding of NQICNs and their unmet needs will enable nurse managers, educators, and nurses to better support NQICNs' evolution from novice to competent shift leaders.

A model to facilitate critical thinking of radiography students.

INTRODUCTION: Critical thinking is a much-needed skill required by radiography students, across disciplines, when they graduate. The facilitation of critical thinking is a task that radiography educators are faced with in order to produce graduates who can apply these skills in the clinical setting, for the best care of the patient. The development of critical thinking skills is challenging, and currently there is no radiography-specific model which has been implemented and evaluated as a framework of reference for radiography educators. The aim of this article is to present a critical thinking model as a framework of reference that was implemented and evaluated by diagnostic radiography educators. METHODS: A theory-generating qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used for the development of a model to facilitate critical thinking skills of diagnostic radiography students in a South African setting. RESULTS: A theory-generation model to facilitate critical thinking skills for radiography students was developed. The model was implemented and evaluated by radiography educators. Three themes emerged from the evaluation of the model after implementation. The results indicated the implementation of the model provided a platform for radiography educators to collaborate and purposefully tailor activities to incorporate critical thinking into their teaching. CONCLUSIONS: Through the implementation of the model, radiography educators felt empowered by using a framework of reference to facilitate critical thinking skills of radiography students.

Midwives' and women's experiences with respectful maternity care around the globe: A meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: All women have the right to the highest attainable standards of health, including the right to respectful maternity care (RMC). A qualitative body of knowledge describing midwives' and women's experiences of the value and importance of RMC exists. However, no qualitative synthesis exists about midwives' and women's views of respectful care. AIM: This review aims to present a qualitative synthesis of global perceptions and experiences of midwives and women regarding RMC. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in October 2021 and updated in March 2023 on Science Direct, EBSCO host, PubMed, Nexus and ProQuest databases. The synthesis included qualitative studies published between 2010 and 2023. Qualified midwives and pregnant and postnatal women were the samples of the review. The studies' screening and selection for inclusion in the review are presented using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow chart, and the quality of the included studies was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Screening Programme (CASP) tool. Thematic analysis was conducted. FINDINGS: Fifteen studies met the review inclusion criteria involving 266 women and 147 midwives. Five themes were identified from the data: commitment to women's rights; excellence in midwifery knowledge and skills; a facilitative built environment; optimising the interpersonal dimension; and the development of women's resourcefulness and resilience. CONCLUSION: Maternity care is collaborative, and midwives and women are partners in the process. Midwives play a significant role in promoting women's rights, fostering interpersonal working and client relationships, and addressing women's rights and needs.

Stories of being a new nurse academic at a nursing education institution.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to explore and discover the best moments of being a new nurse academic at nursing education institutions. AIM: The purpose of this study was to define, discover and learn about the experiences of being a new nurse academic. DESIGN: A qualitative design with inspiration from Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was used. METHOD: Purposive and snowball sampling was used. Data collection was done using semi-structured individual interviews. Data were analysed using Giorgi's method. The COREQ guidance was used for reporting of this study. RESULTS: Four themes were identified. (1) The emphasis was their transition from clinical setting into the world of academics, which was challenging, overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. (2) Participants were fulfilled and influenced to achieve more. (3) Participants expressed what they wished for. (4) Participants shared recommendations for job security, employment and retainment of new nurse academics.

Radiation Protection among South African Diagnostic Radiographers-A Mixed Method Study.

ABSTRACT: Worldwide, radiographers' radiation protection practices vary. In South Africa, evidence of diagnostic radiographers' suboptimal radiation protection practices has been reported, but the reasons for these practices and suggestions to improve practices were lacking. Therefore, this study explored radiation protection among South African diagnostic radiographers. This study used an explanatory, sequential, mixed-method approach. Data were collected in three phases. Phase I, the quantitative phase, used an online questionnaire and respondents from Phase I interested in participating in Phase II, the qualitative phase, were interviewed, yielding 13 in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews. In Phase III, eight radiography managers co-constructed change strategies to optimize radiation protection in South Africa in two focus group interviews. Radiation protection was suboptimal despite diagnostic radiographers having a good attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control toward radiation protection and optimal radiation protection knowledge. Varying attitudes to radiation protection, lack of resources, and support from radiography management and healthcare teams contributed to suboptimal radiation protection practices. Radiography managers suggested increasing radiation protection awareness, ameliorating the diminished stature of the radiographer in the healthcare team, and increasing the availability of optimal quality resources. South African diagnostic radiographers' radiation protection knowledge was optimal, but the implementation of radiation protection varied and was influenced by multiple factors. A radiation protection culture supported by management is advocated to optimize radiation protection. However, ultimately radiation protection practices are incumbent on the individual radiographers' choice to practice radiation protection.

International nurse education research collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic: Researchers' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: International research collaborations in nurse are increasing. However, collaborations in international nurse education research are limited compared to clinical nurse studies. This paper presents the experiences of seven investigators of a multi-country study while conducting collaborative research among nurse students across five continents. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to describe the experiences and challenges of conducting an international nurse education research and to propose recommendations to enhance these collaborative research experiences. METHODS: Narrative perspectives from nurse educators on the international nurse collaborative experience were described in this discussion paper. RESULTS: International collaboration in nurse education research was a positive and enriching experience. While several challenges were experienced by the collaborators, the presence of facilitating factors, benefits of collaboration, and opportunities for personal and professional growth and development outweighed the challenges. Team leader attributes, active engagement, commitment, genuine interest, and cultural sensitivity are essential in creating a successful international nurse research project. CONCLUSION: International collaborative nurse research fosters expansion of nurse knowledge through sharing of expertise and development of culturally diverse perspectives.

The Development and Implementation of a Model to Facilitate Self-Awareness of Professionalism for Enrolled Nurses.

Within the South African context, the nursing profession comprises different nursing cadres. The enrolled nurse is considered a sub-category of nursing and therefore does not carry the title of 'professional' as in a professional nurse. The purpose of the study was to develop, describe, implement, and evaluate a model for the facilitation of self-awareness for the professionalism of enrolled nurses at a specific nursing agency in Gauteng. A theory generating, qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used and was conducted following Chinn and Kramer's four stages of model development. The model can benefit nursing education because it relates to an essential aspect of growth and maturity in one's career. Ultimately, the facilitation of self-awareness for professionalism can advance one's career, or the lack of self-awareness may impede one's career. Developing, describing, implementing and evaluating this model to facilitate self-awareness for the professionalism of enrolled nurses at a specific nursing agency in Gauteng provides an original contribution to the theory in nursing professionalism and ethos. This model can be utilised as a tool to facilitate self-awareness for the professionalism of enrolled nurses at a nursing agency.

Self-care neglect through the voices of nurses working in primary healthcare clinics in Gauteng, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Self-care is essential, but while professional nurses often pay attention to the health of their patients, they give little heed to their own well-being. With the current pandemic continuing to negatively affect the world, the need for health professionals to make time for self-care is imperative. The concept "self-care" is not a new phenomenon; however, this study strives to show the importance of self-care practices in the world of nurses and its benefit for the nursing profession. The reality for nurses taking care of themselves will assist them in providing consistent quality care for their patients. METHOD: A qualitative approach with a descriptive, phenomenological, contextual method was used in this study. Ten professional nurses employed within different primary healthcare clinics were selected through purposeful sampling. Through in-depth, individual interviews, the professional nurses shared their lived experiences with self-care practices while being employed within a primary healthcare clinic. The recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and then analyzed using Colaizzi's method. RESULTS: The findings revealed: Theme 1: Participants experienced internal and external factors that compromised self-care practices Theme 2: Holistic well-being and the quality of patient care are compromised by self-care neglect Theme 3: Participants experienced the need to take responsibility and accountability to promote self-care practices. RECOMMENDATIONS: Specific recommendations were formulated to facilitate professional nurses' empowerment to practise self-care as a lifestyle. These specific recommendations focused on reducing the burden of caring for others to the extent that professional nurses working in primary healthcare settings have nothing left for themselves.

The development and evaluation of a nurse anaesthesia model for practice in South Africa.

Objective: This article aimed to present a developed model for nurse anaesthesia practice in South Africa and then to evaluate the model by national and international anaesthetist experts. Methods: For the model development, a theory-generative research design was used as guided by Chinn & Kramer. The study included four steps to develop and evaluate the model: step one, concept analysis; step two, placing the concepts into relationships; step three, description and critical reflection of the model; step four, evaluation of the model. For evaluation of the model, data were collected using individual, in-depth interviews. Four South African medical specialist anaesthesiologists and four international nurse anaesthetists were interviewed. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using Tesch's eight steps of thematic data analysis. Results: The model was described in four phases: relationship phase, working phase, termination phase, and independent phase. The model shows a development process of a student nurse anaesthetist by a nurse anaesthetist facilitator to the mastery of the scope of practice of a nurse anaesthetist. Two themes (six categories) emerged through thematic analysis: the model and guidelines for implementation were found to be appropriate (model and guidelines for implementation are important because of the need for nurse anaesthetist, the model is applicable because it is described as comprehensive, the relationship phase was found to be important and the interdependence between disciplines is imperative, the affirmation that mastery has to be attained by nurse anaesthetists due to the complexity of services rendered), anticipated limitations to the South African nurse anaesthetist (the need to identify complex patients and limitations on the setting and refer to higher level of care, limitations due to red tape). Conclusions: This model provides fertile soil to inform and outline the education (curriculum) and practice (scope of practice) and research for nurse anaesthesia practice in South Africa.

Selection process for admission to an academic nursing programme - A meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Student nurse selection has been a topic of debate for years. Poor nursing care has been attributed to uncaring attitudes, lack of motivation and poor training and mentoring. Student nurse selection requirements and the steps involved in the process have been a revolving debate. Internationally, the recruitment and selection process are being refined to align with recommendations from the Francis Inquiry to include a values assessment. OBJECTIVE: To select, review and interpret evidence-based studies on student nurse selection; and develop and provide recommendations for nurse educators when selecting first-year student nurses as a holistic, integrative process fitting with caring and providing quality care. DESIGN: Qualitative meta-synthesis. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases were used during data collection: Ebscohost, ScienceDirect, SAGE, Cinahl and Sabinet (SAePublications). Qualitative articles published in English or Afrikaans reporting on student selection processes and experiences were included in the data collection process. REVIEW METHODS: Qualitative articles were systematically identified using the STARLITE principles. The articles were critically appraised for quality by employing the CASP method. RESULTS: Fourteen articles were included. Thirteen of the articles were published in English. One PhD thesis was included, a seminal work conducted on student nurse selection in South Africa. Data analysis revealed three main themes: a reliance on the interview, alternative selection methods, and attributes as criteria for nursing selection. Within these themes, many different methods of student selection emerged. The benefits and challenges of these methods were identified, and a holistic admission process was ultimately most successful in selecting the correct student nurse. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate there are many different student nurse selection processes. A holistic admission process is needed to select the best student nurse that displays caring attributes and provides quality nursing care.

The development and implementation of a model to facilitate self-care of the professional nurses caring for critically ill patients.

OBJECTIVES: This article aimed to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of the model's effectiveness to facilitate self-care of professional nurses caring for critically ill patients in ICUs. METHODS: The methods of Chinn and Kramer, Walker and Avant were utilized to generate this model. The study included four steps to develop, implement and evaluate the model: Step 1 - concept analysis; Step 2 - placing the concept in relationship statements; Step 3 - description and evaluation of the model; and Step 4 - implementation and evaluation of the model. The implementation and evaluation of the model included two phases: a one-day workshop to present the model, and three months of model implementation. The study was conducted in a specific tertiary hospital in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Twenty-five participants were identified amongst the five ICUs, and only eight participants accepted the invitation. Out of the eight participants, only six professional nurses working in different ICUs in the public sector were interviewed. RESULTS: The model was divided into three stages: relationship, working, and termination; it comprised the primary and secondary contexts in which the facilitation of self-care occurs. The model process occurred in a spiral form. The registered nurses benefitted holistically from the three presenters at the workshop, and the social worker contributed to their emotional self-care activities. Three themes emerged: The model brought positive experiences, change, and self-awareness; the model benefitted the registered nurses holistically; role modeling self-care practices motivated and benefitted others. CONCLUSION: The model implementation assisted the registered nurses' in developing self-awareness and resilience. They gained more knowledge regarding self-care, and the model encouraged them to implement improved self-care practices. They became role models of self-care and motivated their friends and families.

Using the theory of planned behaviour to determine radiation protection among South African diagnostic radiographers: a cross-sectional survey.

INTRODUCTION: The use of ionising radiation in medicine accounts for the majority of radiation exposure from artificial sources. Therefore, all measures to safeguard against unnecessary radiation exposure must be taken. As radiographers are central to radiation protection, this study aimed to determine South African radiographers' attitude towards radiation protection, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control concerning radiation protection. METHODS: This quantitative cross-sectional study used an online theory of a planned behaviour radiation protection questionnaire shared through social media platforms from August 2019 to February 2020. Diagnostic radiographers registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and employed at radiology departments in South Africa were invited to participate in the study. RESULTS: Four hundred and seventeen radiographers in South Africa responded to the questionnaire. The majority of respondents (90%, n = 376) plan to use radiation protection; however, only 16% continuously used radiation protection in the past. Respondents felt that using radiation protection was extremely good (72.2%), pleasant (47%), beneficial (74.1%), rewarding (55.2%) and worth the time (52.5%); 57% of respondents indicated that using radiation protection takes longer to complete the examination. Respondents report that approval from patients (43.5%), patients' family (32%), radiographer coworkers (31%), radiology managers (47%) and radiologists (43.9%) is very much important to them. CONCLUSION: The study shows that even though fewer respondents use radiation protection at present, most respondents plan and intend to use radiation protection measures. Respondents felt that radiation protection was good and beneficial, with some respondents feeling that radiation protection is not worth the time, which coincide with lengthening the examination. Overall, South African radiographers' attitudes towards radiation protection, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and radiation protection intention were high.

Strategies to facilitate effective caring for patients in primary health care clinics.

BACKGROUND: Caring is described as the innermost core of nursing which occurs in a relationship between the patient and the care provider. Although caring in nursing is associated with maintaining and strengthening of the patient's sense of dignity and being a person, there seems to be a gap between caring theories in nursing, healthcare policies and caring for patients by professional nurses in primary health care clinics. Developing strategies that will facilitate effective caring for patients by professional nurses in primary health care clinics within an ethical and mindful manner became an area of focus in this study. OBJECTIVES: To develop strategies to facilitate effective caring for patients by professional nurses in primary health care clinics in South Africa. METHOD: Strategies were developed based on the conceptual framework developed in Phase 2, which was derived from synthesis of the results of Phase 1 of the previously conducted study and supported by literature. The conceptual framework reflects the survey list of Dickoff, James and Wiedenbach's practice theory. RESULTS: Three strategies were developed: 1) facilitating maintaining of the empowering experiences; 2) facilitating addressing the disempowering experiences by professional nurses, and 3) facilitating addressing of the disempowering primary health care clinic systems. CONCLUSION: The developed strategies, being the proposed actions, procedures and behaviours, could facilitate effective caring for patients by professional nurses in primary health care clinics.

Concept Analysis: The Scope of Practice of a Nurse Anesthetist in South Africa.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to propose a definition for the concept "scope of practice" as it applies to a nurse anesthetist in South Africa. DESIGN: Concept analysis. METHODS: Walker and Avant's procedure of concept analysis was followed. The actions included "Select a concept"; "Determine the purpose of analysis"; "Identifying uses of the concept"; "Determining the defining attributes"; "Identifying antecedents and consequences"; "Define empirical referents"; "Identify model case"; and "Identifying additional cases." FINDINGS: The concept 'scope of practice' as it applies to the nurse anesthetist in South Africa can be defined as the individual's competence, accountability, and responsibility as a health professional. The nurse anesthetist is (1) competent: ready to use skills and judgement in practice; (2) accountable: able to be registered as a nurse anesthetist and willing to abide by the regulations; and (3) responsible: upholding professionalism and demanding recognition from the public and peers. CONCLUSIONS: A definition (revealing the concept's structure) and it's uses (revealing the concept's function) for "scope of practice" of a South African nurse anesthetist is proposed for the consideration of introducing nurse anesthesia to provide safe and affordable anesthesia services in South Africa. This article forms part of a larger study titled "A Model for Nurse Anaesthesia Practice in South Africa."

Perceptions of strategies to facilitate caring for patients in primary health care clinics.

BACKGROUND: Caring in nursing helps patients feel better, whilst the absence of caring will affect patients psychologically, emotionally and physically. AIM: The aim of this article was to explore and describe primary health care (PHC) professional nurses' and PHC nurse managers' perceptions of the developed strategies to facilitate effective caring for patients in PHC clinics. SETTING: This study was conducted in two PHC clinics in Ekurhuleni, an area east of the Gauteng province, South Africa. METHODS: The study used a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design. In-depth individual phenomenological interviews were conducted with eight purposively selected PHC professional nurses working in PHC clinics and two PHC nurse managers supervising PHC clinics in Ekurhuleni. Giorgi's coding method was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Three themes were identified from the results of the exploration and description of PHC professional nurses' and PHC nurse managers' perceptions of the developed strategies. The use of active listening skills, showing interest in what is being said, asking questions and providing constructive feedback that focuses on the issue were the most effective strategies in improving effective communication between PHC nurse managers and PHC professional nurses. The PHC professional nurses were encouraged to put patients' interests first whilst adhering to the ethical principles of nursing. CONCLUSION: Although caring is considered as the core of nursing practice, PHC professional nurses and PHC nurse managers perceive that rendering effective caring for patients needs to be reinforced through the use of strategies that will enable change and improve clinical practice in PHC clinics.

South African student nurses' experiences of professional nurses' role-modelling of caring.

BACKGROUND: Student nurses are expected to implement a caring practice in order to become professional nurses. Caring has remained the art and science of nursing, which student nurses learn from professional nurses during clinical practice. The South African Nursing Council mandates professional nurses to teach and supervise student nurses to master the art of caring during clinical practice. Caring is taught through role-modelling of daily nursing activities. RESEARCH PURPOSE: This study was performed to gain an understanding of South African student nurses' experiences of professional nurses' role-modelling of caring. METHODS: Phenomenological, qualitative research. Purposive sampling of fourth-year student nurses. DATA COLLECTION: focus groups, observations and field notes. The data were analysed using Giorgi's modified Husserlian five-step method. Ethical principles were respected. RESULTS: Three themes were identified. Theme 1: inconsistency in the clinical environment; Theme 2: effective and ineffective role-modelling of caring and Theme 3: carelessness cascading. CONCLUSIONS: The study facilitated an understanding of student nurses' experiences of professional nurses' role-modelling of caring. Recommendations to facilitate professional nurses' role-modelling of caring in a public hospital were formulated: Mentorship training, recognition system for professional nurses, clinical support for student nurses, open channels of communication, random nurse leader rounds, employee wellness program, workshops and positive learning environment promotion.