School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Faculty of Nursing, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
BMC Med Educ. 2020 May 8;20(1):143. doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02060-1.
The characteristics of nursing doctoral programs and the doctoral students' experience have not been thoroughly investigated. Hence, this study aimed to describe the characteristics of nursing doctoral programs in East and South East Asian (ESEA) countries and regions from the views of doctoral program coordinators, and to explore the students' experiences of and satisfaction with their doctoral nursing program.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted using two self-designed questionnaires, one focusing on PhD program coordinators and the other on doctoral students. Characteristics of the nursing doctoral programs focused on program characteristics, faculty characteristics, career pathways for graduates, and challenges for nursing doctoral education. Doctoral students' assessment of study experiences included quality of supervision, doctoral training programs, intellectual/cultural climate of institutions, general facilities/support, and the overall study experience and satisfaction.
In the PhD coordinators survey, 46 institutions across nine ESEA countries and regions participated. More than half of nursing departments had academic members from other health science disciplines to supervise doctoral nursing students. The majority of graduates were holding academic or research positions in higher education institutions. Faculty shortages, delays in the completion of the program and inadequate financial support were commonly reported challenges for doctoral nursing education. In the students' survey, 193 doctoral students participated. 88.3% of the students were satisfied with the supervision they received from their supervisors; however, 79% reported that their supervisors 'pushed' them to publish research papers. For doctoral training programs, 75.5% were satisfied with their curriculum; but around half reported that the teaching training components (55.9%) and mobility opportunities (54.2%) were not included in their programs. For overall satisfaction with the intellectual and cultural climate, the percentages were 76.1 and 68.1%, respectively. Only 66.7% of the students felt satisfied with the facilities provided by their universities and nursing institutions.
Doctoral nursing programs in most of the ESEA countries value the importance of both research and coursework. Doctoral nursing students generally hold positive experiences of their study. However, incorporating more teaching training components, providing more opportunities for international mobility, and making more effort to improve research-related facilities may further enhance the student experience. There is also a need to have international guidelines and standards for quality indicators of doctoral programs to maintain quality and find solutions to global challenges in nursing doctoral education.
护理博士生项目的特点以及博士生的经历尚未得到充分研究。因此，本研究旨在从博士生项目协调员的角度描述东亚和东南亚（ESEA）国家和地区护理博士生项目的特点，并探讨学生对其护理博士生项目的体验和满意度。
使用两份自行设计的问卷进行了横断面调查，一份针对博士生项目协调员，另一份针对博士生。护理博士生项目的特点侧重于项目特点、教师特点、毕业生职业道路以及护理博士生教育的挑战。博士生对学习经历的评估包括监督质量、博士培训计划、机构的知识/文化氛围、一般设施/支持以及整体学习经历和满意度。
在博士生项目协调员调查中，来自东亚和东南亚九个国家和地区的 46 个机构参与了调查。超过一半的护理系有来自其他健康科学学科的学术成员来指导护理博士生。大多数毕业生在高等教育机构担任学术或研究职位。师资短缺、项目完成延迟以及资金支持不足是护理博士生教育普遍面临的挑战。在学生调查中，有 193 名博士生参与了调查。88.3%的学生对他们从导师那里获得的监督感到满意；然而，79%的学生报告说他们的导师“逼迫”他们发表研究论文。对于博士培训计划，75.5%的学生对课程感到满意；但是大约一半的学生报告说，教学培训部分（55.9%）和流动机会（54.2%）没有包含在他们的课程中。对于整体对知识和文化氛围的满意度，百分比分别为 76.1%和 68.1%。只有 66.7%的学生对他们所在大学和护理机构提供的设施感到满意。
东亚和东南亚大多数国家的护理博士生项目都重视研究和课程的重要性。护理博士生对他们的学习经历普遍持积极态度。然而，纳入更多的教学培训内容，提供更多的国际流动机会，并努力改善与研究相关的设施，可能会进一步提高学生的体验。还需要制定国际指南和标准，以确定博士生项目的质量指标，保持质量，并找到护理博士生教育全球挑战的解决方案。
