Graduate-entry nursing students’ journeys to registered nursing

AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of Australian graduate-entry nursing students as they journeyed towards their wish of becoming a registered nurse.MethodThis paper reports the findings from a qualitative grounded theory study used to develop one theoretical framework for explaining graduate-entry nursing students’ journeys to nursing. Computer mediated communication collected data through semi-structured electronic interviews. This study focussed on the experiences of a purposive sample of six past graduate-entry nursing students from an Australian university.FindingsParticipants’ decisions to pursue nursing were often long-lasting involving considerable thought and preparation. Educational experiences were a collection of detractors and facilitators throughout the course. Working as nurses post-graduation re-shaped their original perceptions of nursing, often with gender differences, however their commitment to nursing remained strong and all overtly verified having become a registered nurse.SummaryThis study identified the unique experiences of graduate-entry nursing students. This uniqueness represented numerous life experiences including previous tertiary study. Avenues of further research were identified where a deeper understanding of graduate nursing students could be gained. Such knowledge may lead to courses that better capture the abilities of graduates who may not have considered nursing but for the graduate-entry pathway.