Supporting disabled student nurses from registration to qualification: A review of the United Kingdom (UK) literature

SummaryThis paper reviews the UK evidence in relation to support for disabled student nurses from admission to qualification. The review was undertaken with a view to informing the provision of more effective support for disabled student nurses both within university and clinical practice, focusing on students with learning difficulties, mental health problems and unseen disabilities such as diabetes as these are the most commonly reported categories of disability in the Nursing and Midwifery Admissions System (NMAS). Evidence is available that highlights barriers for disabled students and provides recommendations for support strategies; however, few papers actually discuss how effective these strategies are once in place. This review therefore recommends further research that considers how effective and appropriate adjustments in university and clinical settings are for disabled student nurses.