The nursing programme in the rear-view mirror: interviews with Swedish nurses one year after their graduation

In order to increase the understanding of how students assimilate the knowledge they need to carry out their professional duties, knowledge about the experience of the nursing education in the light of the first year of employment is important. The aim of this study was to describe nurses' views of their education, one year after their graduation. Interviews with eight nurses, aged 24 to 40 years, were analysed using manifest qualitative content analysis. The results show that, when viewing their education in the rear-view mirror, they emphasised the importance of the applied courses but had started to acknowledge the importance of training in scientific methods, which during their education was seen as less important. They also stated that their training in medical science had been sufficient, although during their education they expressed doubts about whether this level of knowledge would be enough. The nurses also realised that knowledge concerning the subject of nursing science afforded them both opportunities and the potential possibilities to influence nursing care provision. The study indicates that nursing education gives the students the tools they need to perform their assignments as registered nurses, even if clinical experience is required to internalise and consolidate the knowledge.