Background: In clinical settings where missed nursing care prevails, nursing students' instructions, supervision and the joint reflection on clinical practice with mentors are also affected and nursing students become involved in dealing with missed nursing care. Aim: To explore the experience of missed nursing care in clinical placements, its meaning for nursing students, and actions they considered or took.

Methods: Qualitative study based on a content analysis of nursing students' written reports. Nursing students in three universities in Germany with experience of at least one clinical practice placement were invited to participate. Online, they answered three open questions concerning missed nursing care focusing on: (1) experiences of the phenomenon, (2) its meaning and (3) actions that had been considered or taken when dealing with missed nursing care. A content analysis was performed.

Results: The recruitment criteria were met by 69 nursing students. Four main themes and 20 sub-themes were identified. The reports covered all forms of missed nursing care. Becoming involved led to intrapersonal conflicts and, feelings of powerlessness but also to learning opportunities. It challenged professional and ethical standards. Students identified a broad spectrum of actions to answer the challenge.

Conclusion: Dealing with missed nursing care creates opportunities and challenges for nursing students. To build up a well-trained and sustainable nursing workforce, learning environments for nursing students must reflect the challenges and counteract deficits.