Abstract: An ethnographic study which attempts to understand what initial employment means to graduates from a comprehensive nursing course. The researcher participated in the first 3-4 months of the nurses' employment in general hospital settings. Five major themes emerge from the study indicating that the rhetoric practice of the school of nursing is different from the rhetoric and practice within general hospital settings. The reality of initial employment for the new graduated conflicts with the values and ideals of nursing promulgated by the comprehensive nursing course. The educational program stressed patient centred nursing, where nurses accepted responsibility for the continuing care of individuals. In contrast the hospital settings stress nursing as management of tasks across different patients. This conflict was a major source of frustration for the 'beginning' nurses. Ultimately they accept the reality of nursing as the management of tasks, but not without some personal cost. Orientation programs and the early employment period focus on 'fitting in to the system'. A significant determinant of the practice of new graduates are context effects such the time of their shift and the availability of experienced nurses. A number of management practices foster and maintain a beginning level of practice and new graduates have no opportunity to practice as autonomous nurses within a multi disciplinary health care team. Beginning practice is identified in new graduates through their difficulties in coping with unplanned or unexpected events. The initial employment period is dominated by shift work, resulting tiredness and adjustment to social activities.It is argued that management practices which support the ideals of comprehensive nursing courses and totally qualified nursing workforce have yet to occur. There are implications in this study for nursing education and nursing practice