Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety and Fatigue in Students Nurses Experiencing their First Clinical Practice

아로마테라피가 첫 임상실습을 경험하는 간호학생의 불안과 피로에 미치는 영향

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aromatherapy on the level of anxiety and fatigue in student nurses who were undergoing their first clinical practice. Method: A non-equivalent. control group. pretest-posttest design was used. A convenience sample of 42 student nurses were selected. They were assigned to experimental and control groups. The aromatherapy using lavender, geranium and camomile was given to the experimental group for four consecutive days while the control group only rested. Result: 1. Anxiety scores for the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group on the $2^{nd},\;3^{rd}$ and $4^{th}$ days of clinical practice. 2. Fatigue scores for the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group on the $2^{nd},\;3^{rd}$ and $4^{th}$ day of clinical practice. Conclusion: The results support the conclusion that aromatherapy using selected essential oils is an effective intervention for relieving anxiety and fatigue in student nurses experiencing their first clinical practice. However differences between aromatherapy and massage were not clear. Further investigation needs to be done.