Nursing Students’ Perceptions and Educational Needs Related to Spiritual Care: An Exploratory Study

As holistic care gains prominence in nursing, spiritual care has emerged as a core dimension of patient-centered practice. However, undergraduate nursing curricula in South Korea have not sufficiently incorporated spiritual care education. This study examined nursing students’ perceptions, experiences, and educational needs regarding spiritual care using a mixed-methods approach. A total of 254 junior and senior nursing students completed an online survey assessing their educational experiences, perceived necessity of spiritual care, and levels of understanding and practice. To complement these findings, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven students from a Christian nursing college. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency analysis, the t-test, the chi-square test, and Pearson correlation coefficients, whereas qualitative data were thematically analyzed based on Giorgi’s phenomenological method. Results showed that more than half of participants had never received formal education on spiritual care, yet most recognized its importance and expressed strong preferences for required coursework and experiential learning. Students perceived spiritual care not solely as religious or end-of-life support but as empathetic, emotionally attuned care applicable across diverse clinical settings. Integration of structured and experiential approaches, such as role-play and simulation, was consistently emphasized. These findings highlight a significant gap between current curricula and clinical expectations, underscoring the urgent need for systematic integration of spiritual care education to strengthen holistic and patient-centered nursing competencies.