Experiences of Master's Degree Nursing Students in the Thesis Process: A Qualitative Study.

AIM: This study examined the thesis experiences of master's degree nursing students who had completed their thesis research and writing and were awaiting their thesis defence.

BACKGROUND

Examining the thesis process from students' perspectives is important because this process forms a central component of postgraduate nursing education.

METHODS

This descriptive qualitative study was conducted at a health sciences institute in western Turkey. The sample consisted of 10 master's degree nursing students. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis method.

FINDINGS: Four themes emerged: (1) the challenging journey of the thesis process, (2) resources for survival during the thesis process, (3) dynamics of the advisor-student relationship, and (4) being a thesis student: building an identity.The findings highlight the need for institutional mechanisms and effective academic advising to support resilience in postgraduate nursing education.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that academic advising should be approached as part of a broader institutional support system designed to improve the quality of graduate nursing education and protect student well-being.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Graduate programmes should integrate pre-thesis preparation seminars, structured mentoring, advisor training, psychological support pathways, and research-skill development into the curriculum. For clinically employed students, collaboration between universities and healthcare institutions is needed to provide workload and scheduling flexibility during intensive thesis periods.