Document Type

Dissertation

Title

The Lived Experiences of Thriving Nursing Students

Authors

Nicole M. Mentag, Nova Southeastern University

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing Education

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Department

College of Nursing

First Advisor

Holly Evans Madison

Second Advisor

Timothy D. O'Connor

Third Advisor

Patrice K. Nicholas

Publication Date / Copyright Date

2020

Publisher

Nova Southeastern University

NSUWorks Citation

Nicole M. Mentag. 2020. The Lived Experiences of Thriving Nursing Students. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Nursing. (85)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_con_stuetd/85.

Abstract

As the demand for qualified nurses increases, nursing education is responsible for preparing students for healthcare challenges. Nursing education focuses on academic success measures, including licensure examination passage, graduation rates, and grade point average. Though these outcomes are important, they fail to capture the complexities of student success. Thriving, the conceptual framework for this study, is a phenomenon within higher education that expands on the traditional measures of success and integrates cognitive and psychological aspects of the college experience. This study utilized interpretive phenomenology to understand the meanings of the lived experiences of thriving undergraduate nursing students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants who were deemed as thriving, according to the Thriving Quotient. These participants were undergraduate students from two baccalaureate nursing programs. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: professors’ investment in students, partnerships with peers, seeing success through hardships, greater purpose, and finding a balance. The study’s findings add to the unique understanding of thriving among nursing students. Furthermore, the results support the call for an expansive view of success to prepare students for the nursing profession

Disciplines

Nursing

Keywords

Baccalaureate, Nursing student, Success, Thriving, Undergraduate

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