title: "I know exactly what I'm going into": recommendations for pre-nursing experience from an evaluation of a pre-nursing scholarship in rural Scotland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a model of pre-nursing experience from evaluation of a pre-nursing scholarship for school pupils in Scotland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Action research study.
  
  
  METHODS
  School pupils (n= 42) completed questionnaire surveys and participated in anecdote circles. Student nurses acting as pupil 'buddies' (n= 33) participated in focus groups. Descriptive quantitative data and thematic analyses of qualitative data were integrated across cohorts and campuses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten recommended components of a model of pre-nursing experience were identified: educational experience of: (1) face-to-face on-campus teaching; (2) hands-on clinical skills sessions; and (3) andragogy, practice exposure to (4) nursing language; (5) nurses' emotional labour; (6) patients' stories; (7) pupils socializing with buddies; (8) buddies planning placement activities; and (9) supporting pupils during placements. Academic attainment was not a central component of the model due to pupils' need to (10) prioritize examined work for further/higher education entry.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences University of Stirling (Highland Campus) Centre for Health Science Inverness UK.
authors.forename: Annetta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences University of Stirling (Highland Campus) Centre for Health Science Inverness UK.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beattie
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Care Edinburgh Napier University UK.
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Kyle
keywords: Action research; nurse recruitment and retention; pre‐nursing experience; qualitative research; scholarship