Exploring the experiences of faculty members and graduate nursing students regarding academic counseling.

BACKGROUND

Academic counseling for students across various educational levels is a structured and organized activity that constitutes a key responsibility of universities. It is typically delivered by counseling professors. The nature of these services varies depending on the student's educational level. This study aims to explore the experiences of faculty members and graduate students in the nursing program regarding academic counseling.

METHODS

This qualitative study, conducted from 2023 to 2024, employs a content analysis approach. Participants included graduate students and faculty members from the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Nursing Department. A purposive sampling method was used to select 10 participants. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews and analyzed concurrently using the Colaizzi method.

RESULTS

The themes describing the participants' experiences included the stigma of professional weakness, internal and external factors exacerbating conditions, lack of motivation, the necessity for effective counseling, and lack of counseling competency among professors.

CONCLUSIONS

The results highlight several challenges within the student counseling program. They underscore the need to empower faculty members and devise strategies to address these challenges. Understanding the professors' counseling experiences can provide insights into how institutional support can be harnessed to improve or enhance student success in higher.