The impact of health student placements on aged care residents Background Student placements in residential aged care can offer valuable learning opportunities for students and benefits for host organisations. However, there is little discussion in literature regarding how these placements impact residents and staff. Our research is exploring the perceived impact of student placements on staff, organisational culture and residents. This presentation will discuss findings regarding the residents’ perspectives. Methodology This study used a concurrent triangulation, mixed methods design. In-depth interviews were used to gather data to explore residents’ perspectives of student placements. Interview participants were randomly recruited based on their willingness and cognitive capacity to participate Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently, analysed separately, and then merged for interpretation. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to analyse the interview data and to generate the codes used to identify, define, and name themes. Results Interviews commenced in 2024 and continued into 2025 and 2026. An early identified theme highlights residents’ perceptions of the value they contribute to student learning. Many participants considered they have little to contribute to student education and low awareness of the value they hold in their lived experiences as a tool to enhance student learning. Conclusions Understanding residents’ perspectives may influence placement design to better enhance the residents’ experiences and contributions to student learning. This understanding can also support more meaningful inclusion of residents in facilitating transformational learning for health care students.