The Contributing Individuals in Developing Caring Behaviors of Nursing Students: The Focus Group Finding

Abstract

Caring behavior as a core competence of nursing students should be developed during the educational period. This study aimed to explore nursing students’ experiences in developing their caring behavior during nursing education. The study employed focus group discussions involving seven nursing students enrolled in the 3rd, 5th, and 9th semesters, and recent graduates of the baccalaureate nursing program in Indonesian. Data were analyzed using concept analysis with Colaizzi’s model. The results showed that besides their parents, the peer group was the most significant contributor to the development of their caring behaviors, followed by lecturers, senior students, nurses, and their patients. This study recommended that the faculty engage peer groups, senior students, and lecturers in the mentoring program to cultivate a caring culture among nursing students and measure the effectiveness of the program to change nursing students’ caring behaviors.