When asked why she wanted to be present during a medically assisted death, one student nurse replied: I just wanted to know what it felt like to be present in that situation. I was pushing myself into a situation that I knew was going to be uncomfortable, as part of my own growth as a student. I knew from previous [clinical] experiences that having a first experience does facilitate further learning. You know, just like exercising a muscle, the more you stretch it, the more it hurts, the stronger it gets.