Background Students returning to school who are breastfeeding face unique challenges. There is limited literature on breastfeeding university students. Several researchers have studied breastfeeding employees in the workplace. Institutions of higher education closely mimic the employment environment. Breastfeeding college students who express their milk while at school share similar challenges to employed mothers. A baccalaureate nursing program is rigorous and little is known about the challenges facing breastfeeding student nurses returning to classes. Research aim To explore the breastfeeding experience of baccalaureate nursing students. Methods Our study was a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative design. Purposive sampling was used to enroll participants ( N = 12). In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the data both manually and using Dedoose QDA software. Results An overarching theme of pervasive conflict between the role of the breastfeeding mother and the role of the student nurse surfaced. Three interrelated organizing themes also emerged; challenging, vulnerability, and resilience. Time constraints, self-care versus role demands, and structural accommodations contributed to the challenges. Only one participant indicated a knowledge of her breastfeeding rights. All of the participants expressed gratitude for faculty and community support, regardless of conflicts. Conclusion Breastfeeding participants were both vulnerable and resilient. Faculty may improve experiences through providing specific areas of support. A breastfeeding support policy outlining student rights and faculty responsibilities is needed to educate, guide, and enforce protections. Health care providers may enhance breastfeeding students’ experiences through anticipatory guidance, education, and continued support.

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Utilizing a guided reflection activity resulted in the students experiencing a broader, deeper understanding of reflective professional practice.

National nursing organizations and nurses in the workplace identify critical thmking skills as essential to competent nursing practice. This study sets out to test the relationship between critical thinking skills and clinical competence because it seems that competent practice depends on critical thinking abilities. This study focuses on one school of nursing's response to the challenge of denning and measuring critical thinking and clinical competence and examining their relationship. An exploratory nonexperimental design was used with a heterogeneous sample consisting of two graduating nursing classes (N = 143). While the group of participants was able to think critically and practice competently according to set standards, there were no statistically significant correlations between critical thinking and clinical competence total scores. One conclusion for these findings is that critical thinking may not emerge as an associated factor with clinical competence until some time after nursing students become practicing nurses.

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