UNIDIRECTIONAL TIME MANAGEMENT IN NURSING STUDENTS: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY

Motivational experts have touted time-management skills as a central predictor of success in many fields and scholarly research backs these claims. This study aimed to investigate how nursing students manage their time through the circumstances and obstacles brought about by their academic field. The study was conducted using grounded theory method. Twenty-one nursing students were recruited by purposeful and theoretical sampling. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the method suggested by Corbin and Strauss. "Unidirectional time management" emerged as the core category. The sub-categories included accepting nursing, escaping ambiguity, assessing prevalent conditions and expectation, stress and dissatisfaction related to passing time, and effort for reducing stress and increasing satisfaction. In order to overcome their stress, students allotted most of their time to academic tasks. The findings of this study indicate the need for creating conditions for these students in order to have time for extra-curricular activities and responsibilities associated with their age rage.