The crusade - a metaphorical explication of the journey made by mature female undergraduate nursing students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Mature students now account for a significant percentage of undergraduate nursing students. For most mature students, application for access to a university course and subsequent enrollment will generate changes that can have long-term effects on their and their family's lives. Commencing university study is a major transition in the mature student's life, producing increased stress and lifestyle adjustment and changes. The mature age student participating in tertiary study has undergone, and continues to experience, transition, resulting in new social networks, new behaviours and a new sense of self. Little has been written about this rite of passage and the journey these stud..