The purpose of this study was to interpret and elucidate how Swedish nursing students developed their perceptions of caring for older people during their three years in nursing education. Interviews were carried out at the end of each academic year with a total of 27 students from three colleges of nursing in Sweden. The same interview guide was used for all three years of this longitudinal study; the students also wrote diaries about their clinical experiences. The narratives were analysed using a phenomenologicalhermeneutic method. Four themes emerged that were vital to the students' narrated perceptions of caring; three themes concerned impediments to caring. The findings show a development in the students' perceptions of caring as they proceeded through their nursing education. They moved from a naive, caring perspective, via a second-year stage of deeper relationships with patients, and finally, into a third-year organizational perspective, where they used their gained knowledge and experiences in taking responsibility for providing optimum care. This change could potentially damage students' perceptions of their future work, and could influence their career possibilities and decisions when choosing an area of health care in which to work as a registered nurse after graduation. The findings underline the importance of a forum where students can discuss their often difficult experiences with elderly patients, and also the necessity of receiving support and guidance for their actions.