Abstract
This study investigates patient perceptions and attitudes toward student nurses during their ward placements at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria. Professional nursing students transition from classroom learning to clinical rotations, which provide opportunities for patient interaction and influence perceptions. A cross-sectional descriptive survey using a self-designed questionnaire adapted from Mehta and Singh (2008) was conducted with 95 patients at ABUTH. The data were analyzed manually and presented through frequency distributions, percentage tables, and mean calculations. The findings show that participants were mainly male (52.6%), aged 30-35 (35.8%), of Hausa ethnicity (38.9%), mostly married (60%), and practicing Islam (68.4%). Overall, patients had positive perceptions of student nurses when they were supervised, although concerns about knowledge, motivation, and confidentiality led to mixed perceptions and attitude scores. Factors such as education level, financial constraints, and health conditions influenced these perceptions, indicating that improving nursing services could enhance patient acceptance of student nurses. While most patients viewed student nurses positively, some negative attitudes also appeared. The study recommends fostering improved communication between student nurses and patients to bridge perception gaps. These findings highlight the importance of supervisory roles and contextual factors in influencing the patient attitudes toward student nurses, with implications for training programs and patient care practices.