The experiences of baccalaureate student nurses, from layperson to novice nurse, was studied. Paradigm cases of five senior and five sophomore baccalaureate students were transcribed and analyzed for common meanings and themes. The paradigms concern touching patients, giving shots/creating pain, caring for and being intimate with young patients, and relating to patients as friends. Heideggerian hermeneutics was used to analyze the paradigm cases, treating the text as analog. To provide for bias control, the paradigm cases were analyzed by a research team with multiple stages of interpretation. The objective was not to reveal private subjective meanings or to make generalizations, but to discover commonalities in the actual meanings and practices of student nurses. Clinical learning experiences were found to be socializing experiences, helping student to understand the lived experiences of patients and nurses within the context of the nursing culture. The findings can help nurse educators restructure clinical learning experiences for students to enhance their learning in the context of patient care experiences. (SW)