Exploring students’ perceptions of Islamic integration in the clinical nursing education curriculum: a descriptive qualitative study

The integration of religious and spiritual beliefs into the nursing education curriculum is an effort to build the characteristics of nurses as they become professionals. This study aimed to explore the experiences of nursing students who had undergone Islamic integration. The study employed a descriptive qualitative method, including five clinical nursing students selected through purposive sampling and interviewed online. Three main themes emerged from the data regarding the implementation of Islamic integration in the clinical nursing curriculum. The three themes included challenges in implementation, factors supporting successful implementation, and impact on students. Students face challenges in implementing Islamic integration principles, including resistance to change, limited understanding, and insufficient resources. However, with personal commitment, mentorship, and a supportive environment, successful implementation leads to increased self-awareness, improved ethical decision-making, and enhanced empathy in patient care. Integration requires committed educational effort from all academic staff, which necessitates continuous monitoring, mentoring, and habituation of integration practices as part of an ongoing process. This ensures that the integration of Islamic principles into the nursing curriculum is not only theoretical but also practical and transformative.