Nursing students' experiences of working as healthcare support workers.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Preregistration nursing students frequently seek employment as healthcare support workers (HCSWs). However, little is known about their experience of alternating between these two roles. AIM: To explore the experiences of preregistration nursing students working as healthcare support workers. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three preregistration nursing students working part-time as HCSWs in the NHS. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. FINDINGS: Analysis of the interview data produced the overarching theme of 'walking the tightrope'. The overarching theme contained four subthemes 'preparing to get on the tightrope'; 'balancing on the tightrope'; 'having the stamina to stay on the tightrope'; and 'preparing to get off the tightrope'. CONCLUSION: Nursing students gained experience and confidence while working as HCSWs, but were challenged by the limitations and demands of the role.