Abstract: Argues that undergraduate nurse education contributes to the problem of too few nurses choosing to work in aged care, by constructing working in aged care as a lower-status or less valuable area of work than other health-care areas. Examines the issue using Foucauldian discourse analysis to explore the dominant discourses being deployed in relation to clinical experience in aged care. Collects data through semi-structured interviews with 10 senior academic staff members from NZ tertiary institutions. Analyses interview data to reveal how a 'nurse education discourse' and a 'work-ready discourse' were shaping perceptions of aged care as a clinical experience in a variety of ways. Suggests that how and why aged care is utilised as a space to learn a range of nursing skills has the unintended effect of devaluing and discouraging employment in aged care settings.