Professional Concerns of Role-Model Nursing Instructors: A Qualitative Research

Abstract Background The present study was conducted to perceive the role-model nursing instructors’ experience in terms of professional challenges and identification of occupational concerns in the education of nursing students. Nursing instructors have a critical and decisive role in the training of skilled and specialized manpower and subsequent growth and development of the communities. So, the present study was conducted to address the role model nursing instructor’s experience in terms of professional challenges of nursing students’ education. Methods The present qualitative study was carried out using the inductive thematic analysis method and the objective-based sampling. Data were collected until saturation, using three focus-group discussions (n=22) and two individual interviews with nursing instructors, as well as eight semi-structured face-to-face interviews with role-model instructors from five nursing faculties of the universities in Tehran. Results The three main themes were extracted, indicating the occupational challenges perceived by the instructors as follows: “Inefficient education-research system,” “Inappropriate professional position,” and “Ineffective interpersonal interactions”. Conclusion Regarding the concerns of successful model instructors, professional development, prevention of job dissatisfaction, and implementation of role modeling strategies are recommended to be emphasized. Taken together, reducing the clinical training-associated problems in order to modify the education-research system was recognized as the main professional concern of the role-model nursing instructors.