Student-educator relationship in clinical nursing education: Qualitative content analysis

Background and Objective: Clinical nursing education, with emphasis on centrality of student-educator relationship as a powerful tool in the challenging route of education, plays a major role in students’ access to successful learning and internalization of professional roles and values. This research was conducted to explain Iranian nursing students and educators’ perception of student-educator relationship in clinical nursing education.

Materials and Method: In this study, 8 nursing students of Bachlor degree with internship experience and 10 clinical nursing educators in School of Nursing and Midwifery in Mashhad, Iran, were selected by purposeful sampling method. Semi-structured interview was used for data collection. Data analysis was conducted through conventional content analysis approach for reduction and nomination of data, obtain analysis code, and recognition of themes. 

Results: There were two major categories concerned the students and educators' perception of relationship in clinical settings, relationship necessitates (relationship outcomes, characteristics and skills) and unspoken dialogue (action, appearance and facial expression).

Conclusion: Iranian nursing students and educators’ perception of relationship in clinical nursing education is different in some cases from other countries because of such differences, awareness of this relationship concept from their points of view could be helpful in order to communicate effectively in clinical education.