I am a nurse: nursing students learn the art and science of nursing.

The purpose of this study was to understand how nursing students make meaning of experiences of being in nurse/patient interactions. The study was conceptualized using Heidegger's philosophy of being. Participants were 28 sophomore nursing students in the first year of clinical experiences with patients. The participants recorded in electronic journals their responses to six open-ended questions concerning their thoughts and feelings about being in nurse/patient interactions. Data were analyzed using an interpretative process true to hermeneutic phenomenology. Five themes were identified: fear of interacting with patients; developing confidence; becoming self-aware; connecting with knowledge; and connecting with patients. Four implications were drawn from the study: nursing students intertwine the art and science of nursing in nurse/patient interactions; nursing education must be restructured to include a balance of the art and science of nursing; reflection and/or journal writing is a valuable way to enhance learning; and each nursing student is developing identity simultaneously as a nurse and as a person.