Reading nursing: the burden of being different

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Sociology of Health
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Undergraduate nursing students frequently report a pervasive feeling of being different.
• This sense of 'difference' significantly impacts their educational experience and professional identity formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the phenomenon of 'difference' experienced by final year nursing undergraduates.
• To utilize disablement literature to interpret the position and experiences of these students.

Main Methods:

• Informal interviews were conducted with final year nursing undergraduates at a single university.
• Qualitative data analysis focused on students' personal accounts and perceptions.

Main Results:

• Students' narratives consistently highlighted an overarching feeling of 'difference' in their daily lives.
• This feeling of otherness was a dominant theme throughout their undergraduate nursing program.

Conclusions:

• The concept of 'difference' is central to understanding the undergraduate nursing student experience.
• Applying disablement theory offers a valuable framework for analyzing the social and psychological positioning of nursing students.