Athens Journal of Health - Volume 2, Issue 4 – Pages 271-282 https://doi.org/10.30958/ajh.2-4-3 doi=10.30958/ajh.2-4-3 What do Nursing Students have to say about Occupational Health and Safety as University Undergraduates? By Rose Boucaut  Lynette Cusack † Nursing is a high risk profession in terms of occupational health and safety (OHS) as is evident in the extent of illness and injury sustained by nursing practitioners world- wide. The purpose of this pilot study was to more fully understand nursing students’ perspectives about clinical and non-clinical OHS. The study was undertaken at an Australian university in 2014. It was descriptive exploratory in nature. A comprehensive literature search was undertaken. Two focus groups were conducted, using semi-structured interview questions, one with first year students and one with third year students. There were some similar themes between the literature reviewed and focus group findings. The principal theme for non-clinical OHS issues was "Pedestrian Concerns". Spanning life both on and off campus, this theme encompassed issues of self-care including stressors related to work-life balance and the transition from school (or pre-university) to university student. Students were able to identify hazards when sharing their concerns and provide suggestions for their management. This information can be used by staff to enhance all students’ university experience. Keywords: Nursing students, Occupational health and safety, Risk management. Introduction From an occupational health and safety (OHS) perspective, globally nursing is a high risk profession. This is evident in the extent of illness and injury sustained by nursing practitioners world-wide (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 2014). Common occupational hazards faced by nurses during their work have been widely reported (Stokowski 2014, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health 2014, Australian Safety and Compensation Council 2008). Similarly one would expect that student nurses face OHS issues during their training. Staff can learn from students about concerns they have for their health and safety, and doing so is an integral part of consultation about OHS. Further, staff have a duty of care to their students. This paper describes the non-clinical OHS issues expressed by Australian nursing students from a broader study that aimed to more fully understand nursing students’ perspectives about clinical and non-clinical OHS issues. The intent was to subsequently consider this information when planning future OHS teaching and management initiatives for undergraduate nursing students.  Health and Safety Officer, School of Nursing, University of Adelaide, Australia. † Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing, University of Adelaide, Australia.