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Uncovering Student Stereotypes: The Nursing Student

Aila Kubat Feature

Five students from different studies share their thoughts on students they never met. They share the stereotypes they have of certain groups of students, and we check which ones really apply in reality. This week we look at the nursing student.

The nursing student is according to the students ‘a sweet, caring girl, but she used to be one of the mean girls in high school’. Is this true?

The stereotypical nursing student
In the eyes of the interviewed students, the nursing student is a helpful girl who:

  • ‘is passionate about helping others’
  • ‘loves to party’
  • ‘likes the practical part of their study the most’
  • ‘chose their study because they were not accepted or qualified to study Medicine’
  • ‘wants to become a nurse in a hospital’

The student behind the stereotype
How much did the students get right? Vera Terpstra is a first-year nursing student at Hanze UAS. When she read the comment about nursing students being the ‘mean girls’ in high school she laughed. ‘I don’t see why they would call us mean girls! I mean, we are doing a “taking care of others” study, right?’. Okay, so no high school bully, but did they get anything right?  ‘The part about me loving to party is correct!’

Vera’s favorite part of her study is indeed the practical part. ‘Yes, we do that a lot and that’s the nicest thing about the study, to practice on other students or to play a grandma with diabetes or something.’ Vera chose her study because she felt that nursing would be her future. ‘I did not choose the nursing study because I wasn’t selected for medical school. I am not smart enough for that,’ she says laughing. ‘In the answers of the students I see a lot of “helping people” and “hospital”. But of course, there are a lot more facilities to work at as a nurse. You can even join the army and become a medical nurse!’