Preparing registered nurses depends on "us and us and all of us".

The primary goal of undergraduate nursing education is the preparation of graduates able to function as competent beginning clinicians. Avariety of academic-service partnerships are being used to support the clinical preparation of undergraduate nurses but, in today's demanding and fiscally challenged health and education environments, debate continues about how bestto provide students with quality learning in the clinical setting. This article reports the qualitative findings of a collaborative study undertaken to monitor implementation of a new model of clinical education for undergraduate nursing students. Three partners: a District Health Board (DHB) and two universities have developed, and are refining, a clinical education model based on the inclusion of student nurses in team nursing. In response to the question "How well is the student integration model working?" the qualitative findings, from a DHB and university staff perspective, suggest that students are better integrated within the nursing team. Registered nurses from academic and clinical backgrounds are sharing reponsibility for students' learning but there is a clear need to further develop relationships, skills and processes in order to maximise the student development. The survey results, which include the student perspective, have and are being reported separately.