Aim <p>Senior nursing students’ first experience of death is crucial to managing the process they will encounter in their future professional careers. This study aimed to explain the clinical experiences of senior nursing students who encountered death for the first time.</p> Design <p>A descriptive qualitative approach was used.</p> Methods <p>We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 16 nursing students by descriptive qualitative design. Data were collected with semi-structured interview form and were analyzed using thematic analysis method.</p> Results <p>Three themes and seven sub-themes were obtained: <i>“First confrontation with death”, “Staying in the Middle of Dying Scene”, “Facilitators for coping with death”.</i></p> Conclusion <p>The nursing internship program is an important educational activity. Participants were given the opportunity to face death in the first person, which effectively fostered the development of emotional awareness and professional growth. Simulations should be increased in nursing education to strengthen both technical and non-technical skills related to the dying process.</p>