Evaluation of an undergraduate nursing course

During the past two decades there has been a substantial growth in the number of British universities and polytechnics offering undergraduate nursing degree programmes. However, little attempt has been made to evaluate these courses systematically or to assess the potential impact of graduates on the provision of patient care. This study is concerned with the opinions of former undergraduates and ward sisters with experience of supervising the undergraduate nursing students. It also gives an account of the career progression of the students since graduation. The results indicate that the high academic and clinical demands made upon the students are a major problem and that a number of students encounter serious problems of adjustment during clinical placements. The ward sisters consistently rated the students' clinical abilities as high and the vast majority would like undergraduates allocated to their wards if a similar course was run again in the future. The career progression of the graduates demonstrates that the majority opt for clinical nursing posts.