The learning experience of nursing students in their first clinical laboratory in a hospital was examined in a qualitative investigation. Graduate students in a nursing research seminar course participated as co-investigators in the study of clinical learning among sophomore nursing students. Findings revealed that sophomore students in nursing reflected on their role in the clinical setting and in nursing; pursued ways to learn in clinical settings; actively sought mentors; made connections to staff, patients, and peers; and searched for ways to validate the competence of their beginning skills. Parallels of the students' behaviors to the novice-to-expert paradigm were found. The study was valuable for both undergraduate and graduate students involved in the investigation.
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