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Because nursing is a practice discipline, students are placed in clinical settings to collaborate with professional nurses in caring for patients. This descriptive study aimed to explore the benefits and limitations of undergraduate nursing students in the clinical setting. A 54-item instrument, Nursing Students' Contributions to Clinical Agencies, was used to collect data from staff nurses (N = 84) at three hospitals. The instrument also provided space for participants to share qualitative data, which revealed perceptions with which staff nurses were likely to agree and three key themes: Eager to Learn, Willing to Help, and Serving Their Time. The major implication for students is that they are often judged on their assertiveness skills and should offer assistance so they appear eager to learn. Faculty must ascertain that students understand their objectives for the clinical rotation and share those objectives with the staff nurses to enhance their learning experience.

<H4>ABSTRACT</H4> <P>The field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is relatively new to Western health care and scientific research. The American public is embracing the use of CAM, and consequently, health care professionals will have to integrate these therapies into their professional practice. With the addition of basic CAM components to the newest NCLEX-RN<SUP>&reg;</SUP> blueprint, nursing education programs at all levels must incorporate CAM into their curricula. There are challenges to be faced with the implementation of added content, but nurse educators have successfully faced these challenges in the past. Specific strategies for integrating CAM topics into nursing curricula are discussed. </P> <H4>AUTHOR</H4> <P>Received: April 27, 2004 </P> <P>Accepted: December 6, 2004 </P> <P>Ms. Helms is Associate Professor of Nursing, Arkansas Tech University, Department of Nursing, Russellville, Arkansas. </P> <P>Address correspondence to Jennifer E. Helms, MSN, RN, Associate Professor of Nursing, Arkansas Tech University, Department of Nursing, Dean Hall 224, 402 West &#147;O&#148; Street, Russellville, AR 72801-2222; e-mail: <A HREF="mailto:jennifer.helms@atu.edu">jennifer.helms@atu.edu</A>.</P>

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