You’re not a normal student. The meaning of wellbeing for student nurses

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how student nurses conceptualise their well-being and their views on how to improve student nurses’ well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative inquiry using semi-structured interviews with 17 final year students. Tran-scripts were thematically analysed using Braun and Clark’s six-phase approach.

Findings

Three themes were identified as follows: “student nurses” “experience of the university”, “the meaning of student nurse well-being” and “how the faculty could improve student well-being”. The findings are interpreted with reference to notions of social capital and a sense of belonging.

Practical implications

University nursing programmes should embed approaches to student well-being. Higher education institutions should ensure that their social and pastoral offer is accessible and relevant to nursing students.

Originality/value

The study offers unique insight into student nurses’ self-concept as “university students” in the context of their well-being.

Citation

Oates, J., Worth, T. and Coster, S. (2021), "You’re not a normal student. The meaning of wellbeing for student nurses", The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 353-363. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-01-2021-0002