An exploratory study was conducted with the aim of discovering and describing experiences of nursing students during clinical placement in a psychiatric unit in an Iranian hospital.

This hermeneutic phenomenological study was carried out in a psychiatric unit of an educational hospital in Iran. Data were produced with 13 participants using in-depth interviews to detain their full experiences in psychiatric unit. Analysis rooted in the Diekelmann manner facilitated data interpretation and clarification of frequent themes.

Four correlated themes - Anxiety, Maturation, Routine learning and Enthusiasm were recognized in the data.

These results present exclusive insight for scheduling and applying fitting clinical Education in Iran, especially in psychiatric units. The exploration and description of experiences of the nursing students will help nurse educators plan clinical learning opportunities in such a way that they are less stressful, thus ensuring that nursing students are equipped to utilize themselves as therapeutic instruments.