Determination of nursing students' expectations for faculty members and the perceived stressors during their education

Abstract

Background: In nursing education, there are several different factors which can affect the efficacy and quality of the education besides the interaction between the students and the educator. The necessity of giving theoretical and clinical education together may lead to various difficulties.Purpose: We aimed to determine the features of faculties that are most sought after by nursing students and to identify the conditions that lead to stress in the education process.Methods: This was a descriptive study. The data were gathered using a collection form that was prepared by the researchers and included questions about the students' expectations of the faculty and the conditions that caused stress in the students.Results: The students' leading expectations of the faculty were ‘doing fair evaluation of being prepared for the lesson and knowing the subject well’, ‘knowing and using the proper education methods, techniques and strategies while teaching’, ‘the unprejudiced behaviour of the faculty towards the student and communicating well’, ‘being objective towards the students and making an objective assessment’ and ‘being good at both practice and theoretical knowledge’. ‘Intensive theoretical lessons’, ‘crowded classes’, ‘monotonous and boring lessons’, ‘the negative behaviours of the nurses/doctors or the patients’, ‘fear of failure or making mistakes during the clinical practice’ and ‘seeing a dying patient’ were the most stressful conditions for the students.Conclusion: The ways in which these factors affect the education process must be evaluated in nursing education based on a combination of theoretical and practical education and learning experiences. The results obtained from this study could be a guide for nursing schools and faculties.