Supporting the future community workforce: perceptions from undergraduate student nurses

Student nurses must be included in workforce planning to support preventative and proactive care, and to replenish an ageing workforce in the community setting. To do this, student nurses must view community nursing as a desirable career pathway when they graduate as a newly qualified nurse. This study explored the perceptions of community nurses from the viewpoint of year 2 undergraduate student nurses (<i>n</i>=9) via a face-to-face focus group. The key themes identified were intimate relationships, cultures, perceptions, skills and learning. The study found that students felt part of the team in the community setting and that there was a willingness to support and teach student nurses during clinical placement, particularly in relation to clinical skills and proficiencies. Close working relationships between nursing students and qualified staff presented opportunities to discuss, reflect on and consolidate their knowledge and apply it to patient care.