Interprofessional undergraduate students talk about nurses and nursing: A qualitative study

To understand the discourse amongst a range of health professional students, including nursing, talking about nurses and nursing. A qualitative descriptive study which employed the use of focus groups. A rural and residential interprofessional immersion programme in a rural location in New Zealand. The participants were final year undergraduates drawn from seven different degrees (dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy and physiotherapy). Data were collected from separate and sequential group interviews; each of which comprised a different mix of students and always included nursing students. Each student participated once. Data were analysed by comparing datum with datum until recurrent themes emerged. The discourse in relation to nurses and nursing identified two overarching themes ‘constrained conversations’ and ‘the benefit of IPE: what nursing might become’. Within those themes there were four contributing sub themes; ‘nursing as doing’, ‘limiting our vocabulary’, ‘becoming part of the conversation ‘and ‘moving from the present to the future what nursing might become’. The interprofessional experience for student nurses not only enabled them to learn about other professions but was a forum in which they were able to articulate the role of the nurse. This was an unintended and positive by-product of the IPE programme. •Articulating the nature of nursing prove troublesome•Nursing students should be intentionally exposed to other students with the clear purpose to find out about each other's role.•IPE provides a key platform for nursing students to articulate the profession