Background

Caring and learning in clinical educational contexts is characterized by an encounter between lived experiences of the patient and the student’s knowledge and understanding. In other words, it is an encounter between two lifeworlds, which has the potential to create a fruitful tension to develop deep knowledge about the patient’s world that can give direction for practice. We will argue that a particular kind of Caring science knowledge becomes an important tool to support this caring and learning process where the goal is to intertwine lived experiences of health and illness with professional knowing and scientific knowledge. From this perspective is even caring and learning an intertwined phenomenon, and it is this intertwining that enables lifeworld led care.

Aim

This paper presents a study that illustrate how caring and learning is intertwined from the students’ view in an educational clinical context.

Method/design

The study was carried out using Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR) with a phenomenological approach. Lifeworld interviews were conducted with students after their clinical placement on a Dedicated Education Unit (DEU).

Result

The result shows that the essential meaning of the intertwined phenomenon is a movement where caring and learning fall into place which appears in an atmosphere filled with appealing challenges, but has to be sensitive to the students’ readiness. The atmosphere depends on their sense of security and how they experience confirming and affirming responses. Encountering the patient means that the students can gain a sense of the whole and the theory falls into place. The results also highlight how the student, in this atmosphere, has a desire to find a new role in a personal style.

Conclusions

On the basis of this study a challenge to the curriculum is presented, that is, to develop didactics and supervision models that use a holistic approach and adopt a reflective attitude upon caring and learning as intertwined and not separated.