The aim of the study was to present students’ reflections on their first internship at nursing homes.

The study was conducted in June 2001 and covered 32 first-year students of the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences at Bygdoszcz Medical University. The students responded to a questionnaire concerning mainly their impressions.

Analysis of the collected material shows the necessity to select the patients’ group more carefully, and especially to exclude contact with severely ill patients, to which the students are not sufficiently prepared at this stage of their education.

The majority of respondents (75%) were satisfied with practical classes at nursing homes and felt confirmed in their decision to work as a nurse.

At nursing homes, the students broadened their knowledge in the field of geriatrics, communication with the elderly (often very ill people who had experienced traumas), care and nursing, prophylaxis, ethics and morality of the elderly. As a result of the internship, the students became aware of the importance of a nurse’s skilful performance in difficult situations.

The majority of trainees who worked at the nursing homes at Łomżyńska (87,5%) and Mińska street (93,7%) declared the need to maintain contact with the people they had looked after.

The students’ supervisors highly assessed the students’ communication skills and understanding of the needs of the elderly.

The survey showed the students’ expectations concerning practical organisation of the internship in nursing homes. The results of the study will help to improve training process in selected medical institutions.