Student placement: should I correct patients who call me ‘nurse’?

Not all patients will spot the difference between a student and a nurse. What’s important is to respond to the patient’s needs, and ask for help if required

When on placement, nursing students will often find themselves being summoned by a patient calling ‘nurse’.

This is a near-universal experience that happens in all settings, from hospital wards to the community, students tell Nursing Standard. But how should nursing students respond?

Use of the term ‘nurse’ is routine for patients

Second-year adult nursing student Freda Beenstock says being addressed as ‘nurse’ was a frequent occurrence in her first placement. She recently asked on social media what people thought was most the appropriate way to