Adding the role of student nurse: perspectives from women with multiple roles

Abstract

Nursing students enter the community college setting with multiple and different roles, and continue to fulfill the responsibilities associated with those roles. This descriptive study attempted to assess the nursing students1 understanding of their roles, and the barriers and resources they encountered as they fulfilled their roles or delegated the responsibilities associated with those roles to family and friends. Interviews were conducted with six community college nursing students filling the roles of parent, partner, worker, and student. Roles are discussed as well as role conflict and barriers to role fulfillment, and responsibility delegation is explored. In addition, the importance of spousal, familial, and social support is explored as these concepts relate to stress related to the community college student role. The findings indicated that female nursing students were not entirely aware of their roles as they entered the nursing program, nor were they aware of the intensity of the program or the time commitment they needed to make to the college. The students relied on spousal support for assistance throughout the nursing program. Responsibility delegation was also imperative for student success and the decrease of level of stress throughout the program. These findings concur with those of related studies of other populations of students with multiple roles in addition to the new role of student. Among the recommendations is the need to develop an intensive orientation program for nursing students who are adding the role of student to their current roles of parent, partner, and worker. The program would include current students as well as recent graduates. This would enable students to be aware