Students acquire nursing knowledge and values through occupational socialisation during varied work-based placements. Such experiences not only influence their career paths but, crucially, their orientation towards older people in practice. This paper draws on research exploring nursing students’ experiences of working with older people during a pre-registration course. It aims to show how understanding their perceptions might assist in meeting the future challenges of elder care. The author reveals that reformed nurse education, service modernisation and changing roles have modified traditional views of nursing older people but not overturned them. Nurses in age-specific and non-acute areas were more likely to practise and encourage a person-centred approach, this being consistent with students’ ideals.