Nursing students' perceptions of their verbal and social interaction skills in Sweden and China during their first semester

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the similarities and differences related to verbal and social interaction skills between nursing students attending universities in Sweden and China, two countries with different educational systems, during the students’ first semester. Background: Nurses need a high level of interaction skills in order to interact effectively with patients and their families. Thus, practical nursing education focusing on clinical skills is essential. Method: Students at one university in Sweden and two universities in China completed the Verbal and Social Interactions for Nursing Students (VSI-NS) questionnaire. Results: The students perceived ‘Building a caring relationship’ and ‘Caring towards health and well-being’ as the most frequently occurring and important types of caring interactions. The students perceived that talking with a patient about his/her feelings and thoughts was the least frequently occurring and least important type of caring interaction. Conclusion: The students appear to understand from the initial phase of their education that the caring relationship and the patients’ health and well-being will be the major focus of their role as nurses