Prelicensure Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Person-Centered Dementia Care: A Qualitative Exploration Using the VIPS Framework

BACKGROUND: Although progress has been made in teaching dementia care to nursing students, there is still a need to include person-centered dementia care (PCDC) education, because nursing students have a limited understanding of this approach. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the perceptions of prelicensure nursing students regarding PCDC within the context of their professional nursing education. METHODS: This study used a qualitative descriptive design using Brooker's VIPS model as a conceptual framework. Data were collected through individual and semi-structured interviews conducted virtually from January 22, 2024, to March 8, 2024, and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Thirty prelicensure nursing students completed the interviews. Five primary themes were identified: knowledge of PCDC interventions, PCDC perceived negatively as an intervention, education, long-term care facilities (LTCFs), and joining the dementia care workforce. CONCLUSION: Prelicensure nursing students demonstrated a higher level of knowledge of PCDC than anticipated. However, 2 key educational gaps were noted: first, nursing students require more instruction on the safe and ethical use of restraints; and second, they need greater awareness that older adults, including those with dementia, receive care across nearly all healthcare settings, not only in LTCFs. The findings of this study inform curriculum modifications and provide guidance to educators on teaching strategies that are derived from the experience of nursing students, who emphasized their desire for more role modeling or simulation on communicating with people with dementia.