Preparing students for their patients' deaths.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the preparation that Australian undergraduate nursing students receive for their patients' deaths. A survey of the curricula of undergraduate nursing degree programs in Australian universities was undertaken to determine the amount of time devoted to death education and the pedagogical methods used in these programs. Of particular interest was the amount of time spent on students' reactions to death and the coping strategies that they might find helpful in these situations. The results revealed considerable variation in the time spent on death education (range 5-192 hours) in the 28 undergraduate nursing degree programs on which information was received. A mean time of 44 hours was reported with 4.5 hours spent on nurses' reactions to death and loss and instruction in debriefing strategies. The favoured pedagogical method was problem-solving in clinical experience. The implications of this study for nursing practice are discussed.