How student nurses' supernumerary status affects the way they think about nursing.
BACKGROUND
Giving students supernumerary status fundamentally shifted the way the profession thought about student nurses' clinical learning, but it has not been without its critics.


OBJECTIVE
To examine how supernumerary status affects the way students think about nursing.


METHODS
A qualitative study over two years included a literature review, consultation and focus groups with stakeholders, formal and informal interviews with student nurses and clinical stakeholders, and observation in clinical areas.


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest there is an increased division of labour between registered andnon-registered staff, so student nurses observe healthcare assistants performing bedside care and RNs undertaking more technical tasks. This leads students to reject bedside care as part of nursing. Our data suggests that being associated with such work in their supervised practice may lead to students feeling stigmatised. This can then leave them feeling unprepared for their future role as qualified nurses who do not have time to perform such tasks.


CONCLUSIONS
There is dearly a mismatch between qualified and student nurses' views of what nursing is and what student nurses need to learn.
Allan
Helen Therese
HT
Centre for Research in Nursing and Midwifery Education, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey.
Smith
Pam A
PA
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D013222:State Medicine; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom