Nursing Studentsʼ Recounts of Actions and Interactions in Social Relations in Danish Homecare Settings: Perspectives of Immigrant Nursing Students

Encounters between patients in homecare and nursing students are cultural events where students, in principle, are in unknown territory. This study illuminated how nursing students recount (inter)actions in social relations in Danish homecare settings, illustrated by students with a self-appointed immigrant background. The study consisted of semi-structured interviews with eight nursing students. A Goffman-inspired latent thematic analysis was made, resulting in three themes: Cultural prompters reveal the understanding of a home, Transforming the backstage of patientsʼ home into a frontstage working place, and Swiftly conquering the frontstage in patientsʼ homes. Culture influences studentsʼ understanding of a homeʼ, equipping them with an openness towards sensing and understanding cultural differences in encounters with patients and relatives in homecare. Studentsʼ encounters were influenced by various actors who acted as gatekeepers of the visited homes. The gatekeepers could both facilitate and hinder studentsʼ learning. Studentsʼ immigrant background was an issue that coloured studentsʼ (inter)actions in their encounters. However, only a few students experienced that their background caused patients to exclude them from learning activities. From the studentsʼ perspectives, theoretical education in homecare was lacking.