The purpose of this study is to describe how supervisors experience supporting nursing students' learning in pairs on a Developing and Learning Care Unit in Sweden. The present study has been carried out with a Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR) approach founded on phenomenology. A total of 25 lifeworld interviews were conducted with supervisors who had supervised pairs of students. The findings reveal how supervisors support students' learning in pairs through a reflective approach creating learning space in the encounter with patients, students and supervisors. Supervisors experience a movement that resembles balancing between providing support in learning together and individual learning. The findings also highlight the challenge in supporting both the pairs of students and being present in the reality of caring. In conclusion, the learning space has the potential of creating a relative level of independency in the interaction between pairs of students and their supervisor when the supervisor strives towards a reflective approach.

Caring science didactics is the framework of a supervision model that includes students learning process, from a lifeworld perspective, in an encounter with patients, supported by supervision in pair of students. A challenge in nursing education is to bridge the gap between theory and praxis. Reflection and a model for learning and supervision enable students to learn in meeting patients and to get a deeper understanding of their lifeworld. The aim of this study was to describe the learning process of students, in an encounter with a patient, when supported by supervision given to pair of students. Data were collected through interviews and diary entries, interviews in pair of students, and diary entries in private. The analysis was based on reflective lifeworld research approach, founded on phenomenology. Results show that security and insecurity in pair of students, environmental conditions and attitude of health care professionals have influence on students’ learning process. Meeting patients is described as important for the student learning process, but also as indiscernible and that supervised reflection serves to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge. Structured supervision is shown to be supportive for nursing students when developing in their learning process.

Keywords: caring science; learning; lifeworld; nursing students; phenomenology; reflection

Background: Clinical studies have an important position in Nursing Education, it is thus important to develop the learning strategies of students in order to facilitate their learning process during the clinical practice. The aim of the study is to describe the process of students’ learning towards their profession, when supported by supervision in pairs.

Methods: Data has been collected through interviews of students during their clinical studies. The study has been carried out with a Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR) approach founded on phenomenological traditions. The clinical settings are based on the model of the Developing and Learning Care Unit that has a structure that supports students in their learning towards becoming nurses.

Results: Results show that structured supervision is favourable for students learning, where pair of students, space and time play a significant role. The results are illustrated in following themes: The significance of responsibility for learning, the strength and sensitivity in pairs of students, the focus on doing, the significance of the attitude of the supervisor, the vulnerability and potential of the learning environment and Reflection as a possibility and a pre-requisite.

Conclusions: The study shows that the conduct of supervising in pair of students is of great importance for students’ learning and it is thus important to develop a reflective supervising approach and also knowledge of how to support students’ learning.