Effective teaching behaviors in the emergency department: A qualitative study with Millennial nursing students in Shanghai

Abstract Background Millennial nursing students are different from generations before especially with the rapid development of China's economy, their varieties of characteristics affect the clinical teaching and learning. But how their learning preference impact their learning outcomes remain unclear. Objectives The aim of this study is to explore effective teaching methods in the emergency department from the perspective of Millennial nursing students in Shanghai, China. One of the main objectives is to provide valuable information to help nursing programs in China to effectively educate Millennial students to deliver patient-centered care and to meet medical changes according to Chinese healthcare reform. Methods and Participants Qualitative study design was used and semistructured interviews were conducted in a purposive sample of 16 nursing students from six colleges of nursing and five nursing high schools in Shanghai. They are from eight geographical areas across China and have a clinical practice in the teaching hospital. Colaizzi seven-step framework was applied for data analysis. Results Three themes were emerged including: demonstrating harmonious faculty-student relationship, possessing professional competence and being empathetic for teaching. Conclusions The findings of this study provide valuable information for promoting the clinical teaching quality in China. It is crucial to put more emphasis on demonstrating harmonious faculty-student relationship, rendering Millennial students more caring behavior, possessing sufficient competence in both knowledge and skills, and taking full advantage of technology in clinical teaching. The results of this study are relevant to envision the future training of clinical nursing teachers.