Nursing education in countries belonging to the European Union (EU) must follow EU directive requirements. The aim of this opinion paper is to explore and discuss the challenges presented by EU requirements to clinical practice in nursing education. These requirements prescribe that clinical practice must be carried out in a variety of different and specialized areas that provide care in hospital units. This may offer students only a limited range of experience; thus, they may not be fully prepared to care for patients with common diseases, and only have a restricted knowledge about the ongoing development of caring for patients at home. EU directives require that half of a nursing education course be allocated to clinical practice. This is challenging, since the number of hours is laid down without considering such aspects as the need for pedagogical qualifications for preceptors, which in turn may affect the quality of the clinical practice.

Purpose Drawing on positioning theory, the purpose of this paper is to characterize the activities and positions of students and supervisors at workplaces and on-campus skills training sites across the higher health professional educations of medicine, sports science, and nursing. Furthermore, the study explored the impact of work-based learning (WBL) and skills training on students’ personal professional identity development. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study was conducted across six workplace sites and three on-campus skills training sites with 20 days of observation and 21 in-depth interviews. The data were inductively analyzed resulting in the identification of 12 characteristic narratives. This was followed by abductive analysis using Harré’s concept of positioning as the theoretical framework. Findings Across the three higher health professional educations, work-based and on-campus skills training sites were characterized by two learning spaces with distinct positions, rights, and duties. The WBL sites gave the students rich opportunities to position themselves, act independently, and behave as professionals seriously striving for mastery. On the on-campus sites, the students behaved less seriously, and were conscious of their rights to try out things, get support, and have fun. Research limitations/implications The authors recommend that future studies explore aspects of professional identity formation due to its consequences for curriculum design, including the distribution of simulated spaces and professional spaces in students’ learning environments. Originality/value This study adds to the empirical evidence and conceptual frameworks of personal and shared professional identity development in the field of skills and WBL, and it underlines the ongoing value of Harré’s positioning theory in educational research.

Nursing education in the Nordic countries follows the European Union directive requirements, and clinical studies for nursing students in the Nordic countries have many similarities. Now a new generation of students with different needs and characteristics is entering the nursing profession. The faculty, teachers and nurses will face challenges in meeting this new generation’s needs. The primary aim of this discussion paper is to explore and compare the current clinical studies in the five Nordic countries. The secondary aim is to find means to address the future challenges with a focus on the new generation. The idea of Objective Structured Clinical Reflection creates the possibility to discuss a new form of evaluation that may enhance the clinical competencies of the new generation entering clinical studies during their nursing education.

There is a continuous increase in demand for health services in most countries because people who are older are living longer. Health care for people who are older is not, generally, an attractive career option for undergraduate health professionals. This study investigated career dreams among undergraduates studying a variety of health care subjects to understand what motivates them. Eighteen focus groups were conducted with 90 students, and template analysis was performed within a sociological framework. Four themes emerged from the analysis: no plans to work with people who are older, dreaming of making a difference, seeking variety, and the impact of clinical placements on stimulating or reducing interest in working with people who are older. Geriatrics and gerontology do not offer the opportunities that students are looking for in their future careers. There is a need to change the way we talk about adults who are older everywhere, not just in health care training. However, health care educators should also help students to understand the value of care provided to adults who are older.