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Although human resources are considered the main asset in most organisations, public institutions like hospitals are slow to implement systems that encourage and invest in development of this «capital». Within the nursing discipline there are few studies that have explored the impact of hospital work milieu on graduate nurses’ learning and professional development. This article reports nurses’ perceptions of the learning environment in surgical hospital units. Data was collected during in-depth interviews thoughout the nurses’ first year of clinical practice. The material was deductively analysed according to four central conditions impinging on individual learning in the workplace; norms and values in the workplace, structures directing how collaboration in work is shaped, informal learning relations and style of leadership in the ward. Findings reveal that new nurses are alone with the challenges of nursing. There is a lack of strategic thinking concerning learning and development of competence. Processes of work do not ensure opportunities for learning though collaborative reflection and dialogue. The findings are discussed in relation to theory of learning in the workplace, theories on learning and leadership in organisations and research studies on learning environment within nursing.

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