Asian Journal of Research in Nursing and Health

Aim: Caring has long been regarded as the essence and moral cornerstone of the nursing profession, shaping how nurses understand their roles, form therapeutic relationships, and deliver compassionate, patient-centered care. For first-year nursing students, the concept of caring represents both an ideal and a developing practice—something learned, experienced, negotiated, and internalized as they transition from laypersons to future professionals. To explore the lived meanings and personal understandings of caring among first-year nursing students and to identify how caring is constructed, influenced, and integrated into early professional identity formation within the context of Generation Z learners.

Methodology: A descriptive qualitative research design employing Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach was utilized. The study was conducted at a higher education institution in Cabanatuan City, Philippines, from August to December 2025. Participants were ten first-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing students who were recruited through purposive sampling. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit detailed accounts of how caring was experienced and understood. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded. Analysis proceeded through the six phases of thematic analysis including familiarization, code generation, theme development, review, definition, and reporting. Ethical procedures, including informed consent and confidentiality protections, were observed throughout the study.

Results: Five major themes emerged: (1) Authentic Caring Connection, characterized by emotional validation, genuine presence, and mental health–oriented caring; (2) Caring Formalized by Nursing Education, where caring shifted from intuitive and personal to structured and professional; (3) Limited Ability to Care, depicting skill gaps, anxiety, and emotional overload during early training; (4) Caring Learned by Watching Others, revealing role modeling from instructors, peers, and simulations as primary learning mechanisms; and (5) Caring as Professional Identity, where caring became intertwined with motivation, purpose, and envisioned future nurse-self. Collectively, findings suggested that caring for novice students is relationally grounded, pedagogically mediated, emotionally challenging, socially transmitted, and professionally defining.

Conclusion: First-year nursing students conceptualize caring as both an emotional and professional phenomenon shaped by personal history, educational structures, and observational learning. Despite strong caring intentions, students encounter emotional and skill-based limitations that constrain caring enactment during early training. Caring ultimately becomes central to professional identity formation, particularly among Generation Z learners who value authenticity and mental health. Findings underscore the need for nursing curricula that intentionally model caring behaviors, scaffold emotional and communication skills, and provide psychologically safe learning environments that support caring development at the foundational stage.