This study, carried out over a period of four years, aimed to establish what happens in nursing practice in relation to assessing clinical competence of nursing students during their Common Foundation Programme (CFP). The study was based upon the experiences and perceptions of 155 skilled practitioners and 300 students. Many themes and categories emerged, including role overlap and the lack of understanding of the role of the practitioner who is responsible for assessing student performance on practice placement during the CFP. This week we look at the data relating to the 155 skilled practitioners and next week we will review the student data and final data from the assessors, and make some recommendations for practice.