Student blog: practice learning today shapes care tomorrow

"Can I give you a hug?"

These were the words a mother said to me on the final day of one of my placements after I had spent time caring for her young daughter on a Children's High Dependency Unit.

She thanked me for listening to her concerns, taking the time to understand her daughter beyond her condition, and for recognising when something needed further attention from the wider team.

It was a moment that stays with me.

Throughout my nursing degree, I have realised that some of the most important lessons in healthcare are learnt from patients, families, carers and people with lived experience.

Their perspectives have shaped not only how I practise as a student nurse, but how I think about the future of nursing and midwifery education itself.

For me, this is what practice learning is truly about. It is an opportunity to learn alongside people, to understand experiences beyond a diagnosis, and to develop the knowledge, skills and values needed to become a compassionate and effective registered professional.

What continues to inspire me about nursing is that no two people experience healthcare in the same way. Behind every patient is a unique story, a family, a set of experiences and a perspective that deserves to be heard.

Throughout my degree, I have come to appreciate the importance of understanding those perspectives and recognising how much they can teach us.

Whether learning from patients and families in practice, hearing from people with lived experience in education, or contributing to conversations about the future of the profession, some of the most valuable insights come from those who experience healthcare first-hand.

The most significant learning often happens in the simplest moments. While placements have helped me develop clinical knowledge and confidence, it is often the conversations, relationships and shared experiences that have stayed with me the longest.

They have taught me that healthcare is not experienced through policies, pathways or diagnoses alone, but through the everyday interactions that shape how people feel, cope and make sense of their experiences.

Looking back, I have come to realise that these lessons do more than shape individual students; they help shape the future culture, values and standards of the profession itself.

Practice learning is about far more than developing competence and confidence; it helps shape the professional values, judgement and accountability that underpin safe and effective care.

Ultimately, the experiences students have in practice today, will influence the care they provide tomorrow. By investing in high-quality learning experiences from the very beginning of a nurse, midwife and nursing associate’s journey, we are not only supporting students to succeed but helping to strengthen the profession and protect the public for years to come.

As students experiencing practice learning first-hand, we are uniquely placed to identify what supports learning, what creates challenges and what can help future practice learning best prepare the next generation of nurses, midwives and nursing associates.

I encourage students to engage with the NMC’s practice learning consultation and have their say.

The consultation provides an opportunity for students to contribute their experiences and perspectives to discussions about the future of nursing and midwifery education.

Whether experiences have been positive, challenging or somewhere in between, every perspective is valuable. By contributing our views, we have an opportunity to help shape practice learning experiences for future students and, ultimately, the care they will provide as professionals.

Looking back, that moment with the little girl’s mother reminds me of just how influential practice learning can be. The confidence, communication skills and professional values that allowed me to build that relationship were developed through the learning experiences, support and opportunities I received throughout my education. It is those experiences that have shaped the student nurse I am today and will continue to shape the professional I become in the future.

If practice learning can have that impact on one student, it has the potential to shape countless others. That is why it is so important that we continue to reflect on, improve and invest in practice learning experiences that prepare the next generation of nurses and midwives.

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