From Text to Practice: Literacy Demands in Undergraduate Nursing Education

This study examined the literacy demands, expectations, and support systems within undergraduate nursing education, with particular attention to how students navigate the heavy reading loads and profession-specific texts characteristic of the field. Using surveys and focus groups with faculty and students in a baccalaureate-level nursing program, the research combined descriptive statistics with qualitative coding to analyze perceptions of reading expectations and literacy practices. Faculty emphasized the need for deep comprehension to support clinical application, while students reported struggling with both the volume and complexity of assigned readings and frequently turning to simplified or alternative sources. Findings indicate a persistent misalignment between the reading-intensive nature of nursing coursework and the literacy support currently available to students. The results point to a need for more explicit guidance on reading expectations, improved disciplinary literacy support, and instructional practices that better prepare students for the profession’s long‑term literacy demands.