Experiences of Nursing Students and Graduates in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program in Iran: A Phenomenological Study.

Abstract

Abstract: Background and Aims: Qualification of the health –care personnel is based on the education provided for them. The educational program is a key component determining the values, purposes and the educational subjects. Many researches have been carried out concerning the educational learning and clinical environment of the nursing students as well as the relevant problems. However, since the educational environment is an abstract environment fabricated by the students and graduates' mind, has special meaning to each student and graduate, and consequently is important in the student's learning, these studies are deficient in arriving at the nature of the learning concepts. The quantitative studies are unable to clarify how the learners' understanding of a particular environment is acquired, or how they have some connection with the people and the things inside the environment. The nursing teachers teaching for the graduate students requires various deeper research findings if she is to understand the educational experiences from the students' point of view. The main purpose of the current study concerns seeking, describing and interpreting the educational experiences of nursing students and graduates regarding the educational programs of the nursing graduate course in Iran, thus gaining deep insight concerning their educational experiences, which will lead to the preparation of high quality education based on their experiences and expectations, and implementation of its results to design a program on nursing education. Material and Methods: Individual unstructured, in –depth interviews were held with 20 senior students and 8 newly nursing graduate regarding their educational experiences. Participants were selected on the basis of purposive sampling from three different Medical Sciences Universities in Iran. The data extracted from the interviews were written in some forms, and using Diekelmann, Allen, Tanner method they were analyzed. Results: Five main themes emerged out of 12 sub –themes depicting the educational experiences of nursing students and graduate. These main themes include; "findings oneself in the educational environment", "challenges during the studies", "acquiring insight concerning pattern making", "pleasant and unpleasant aspects of learning", and "experienced requests". The findings indicated that being in the educational environment as a nursing student challenges the students and graduates in the understanding process. Findings oneself in the educational environment provides a close relationship between the theoretical education and clinical skills, and reinforces the sense to need to learn in the student causing the student to determine the learning ways himself; hence he tries to adapt himself to the atmosphere of theoretical and clinical education. In the meanwhile, some experiences make him reconsider, the outcome of which is learning and implementation of the acquired theoretical issues in real situations. This attempt eventually results in gaining self –confidence; however the uneasiness and worry with regard to working in the real world are always with him. The teachers respect and support is also taken to consideration by the students, and is one of the most important support of the student during this process. During the educational experiences the students need our fellow teachers' support in the educational environment. During this process, the students get insight about their teacher /instructor. They experience the teachers of different levels with reference to their knowledge and skill. The knowledge and skill of the teacher are the most important criteria evaluated by the students. The educational experience may also be appealing, and at times, bitter and sometimes one has to bear some challenges. Being supported by the instructors and teachers and considering a teacher or other people working in the educational environment as one's models are all subjects that, during their studies, keep the nursing students and graduates' minds busy in the educational environment. In short, being present in the educational environment, observing pleasant and unpleasant events, bearing the challenges, being supported by the instructors and teachers, consciously and unconsciously, cause the student to consider them as models, and this, in turn, finally results in getting a professional identity or lack of interest, guaranteeing them the progress in their field (professional nurse), or in contrast stopping this progress, however, the way this progress is achieve requires other studies. Conclusion: In general, the participants' experiences in this study indicated that their experience is the one full of tensions and together with several challenges, and mainly the lack of an appropriate supporting environment, and, to some extent, the inefficiency concerning the management of the environment and the lesson plan of nursing have caused it. This study has fulfilled its role in the development of nursing knowledge considering students' education through description and interpretation of the students and graduates' experiences. In the end, in an attempt to promote the educational experiences, the research findings are presented in two parts including education and research with regard to nursing, that can be implemented as a suitable guide to facilitate the active learning environment and meet the needs of the learners, and consequently provide some evidence to do modifications required by the educational program for graduate course.