Residential aged care (RAC) continues to struggle to attract registered nurses (RNs). Graduating student nurses feel underprepared to work in RAC and rarely see it as their preferred nursing specialty or career pathway (Nasrawi et al., 2026). The Aged Care Classroom (ACC) is an innovative approach to showcase RAC as a career pathway for undergraduate nursing students. Working in collaboration with a local aged care provider, a team of nursing academics from Southern Cross University developed and delivered a program to engage students and challenge their understanding of the RN's role in RAC. The first ACC workshops were offered to BN nursing students in 2024. Real-life case studies highlighted the complexities of resident care. The case studies, presented by the staff from RAC, allowed students to reflect on and engage in deep conversations around care planning, and complex clinical and ethical decision-making that deliver person-centred care. Students' perception of the RN's role in RAC was evaluated and revealed significantly changed attitudes about the RN's impactful influence on residents’ quality of life in RAC. This presentation will highlight the key findings from the ACC, including students' perceptions of aged care pre- and post-workshop attendance, and the impact this co-designed program had on students' understanding and knowledge of the RN role in RAC. References Nasrawi, D., Austen, K., Wilson, D., McKimm, D., Greenhill, J., & Ward, L. (2026). The aged care classroom: Shifting undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions of residential aged care. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 21(1), e240–e247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2025.10.009