Upon starting their training, nursing students enter an environment characterized by pressure for economization and cost reduction, as well as the demand for patient-centered and dignified care. The daily training routine is therefore shaped by conflicting requirements, which are addressed through the development of a specific chameleon competence. This represents the ability to transform and adapt, which manifests in surprisingly creative context-specific coping strategies, ranging from active resistance to apparent adaptation to institutional conditions. Against this backdrop, the importance of an educational approach that takes into account the diverse educational dispositions of learners becomes clear, while the necessity for subject-specific reflection comes into focus within the training. The study focuses on the strategies employed in practice.