A first-year, first-semester observership placement to increase nursing students’ satisfaction

This paper reports on a two-day nursing observership in the first semester of an undergraduate baccalaureate-nursing program in an Australian university. Of the 392 novice student nurses who completed the observership, 340 provided a written reflection on their experience. The qualitative data were analysed using constant comparative analysis from which four themes were identified. Student nurses reported that the observership provided them with an insight into the nursing world (66.4%), was a revelation (46.4%), met their expectations (16.4%), and was transformative (7.3%). These themes indicated that an observership at the start of a nursing student’s study can provide a professional socialisation experience, link new knowledge to practice, and ease that transition into nursing study. The implication for practice for nurse educators is to consider innovative approaches such as an observership to overcome challenges that first-year nursing students reportedly experience.