The professional identity and experiences of nurses have been focused upon in different studies AIM: This is a longitudinal study whose aim was to understand how nurses experience the meaning of their identity as nurses, when they are students and nurses 2 years after graduation. DESIGN: Data were collected through interviews once a year during education and two years after graduation, and were analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutic method, inspired by the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur. FINDINGS: The analyses of the narratives resulted in four perspectives: 'Having the patient in focus', 'Being a team leader', 'Preceptorship' and 'Task orientation'. The nurses did not change perspectives but the perspective showed a transition over time.