A phenomenological insight into what final year undergraduate student nurses perceive is the role of the Registered Nurse and who they learn this from.

Abstract

This paper considers the perceptions of 18 final year student nurses around their perception of the role of the nurse. A qualitative phenomenological research study was undertaken, with final year student nurses as the data source, undertaking semi-structured interviews from a United Kingdom Higher Education Institution. Data analysis was undertaken by using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings indicate that student nurses had little insight as to the role of the nurse when commencing the programme. Being on the programme has led them to understand there are many aspects of a nurse's role including, surprisingly for them, much responsibility. It was also found that a lot of the learning that takes place comes from working with healthcare assistants, and due to this, the student nurses perceive that the role of the modern nurse is task orientated and there is little holistic care. The future practice of this group of registrants may be affected depending on how they move forward with their role, alongside the holistic role of the nurse being detracted from. While phenomenology does not account for generalisations but does seek to illuminate this phenomenon; however if this view were to be shared globally, then the caring aspect of nursing may well be in danger of being lost. If this assumption of the role of the nurse is shared globally, then there are inevitably implications for the nursing profession, and more importantly patient care may be affected.