What do nurses do? Student reflections.

The art of caring and the science of curing are accepted elements of a nurse's role, with symbiosis and overlap between them. However, following the publication of the Francis report there is now greater emphasis on developing the caring roles of nurses. The chief nursing officer for England's vision for care staff places care and compassion as central to nurses' roles. Student nurses often enter the profession with idealistic lay beliefs of what a nurse's role exemplifies. These beliefs are then challenged when they are exposed to education and practice. A recent educational evaluative exercise used with adult nursing students highlights their thoughts in response to the simple question: 'What do nurses do?', and how they differ at different stages of their education and training.