A Supervisor's Role in Career Planning of Doctoral Students: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal the experiences of doctoral students with their supervisors in planning their careers. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted at an Institute of Health Sciences in Turkey. A total of 16 doctoral students were interviewed in-depth (eight studied nursing, two studied biomechanics, three studied biochemistry, and three studied histology). Five themes were identified from the collected data: Satisfaction with Supervisor, Supervisor = God, Supervisor Inadequacy, Students with No Demands, and National and Institutional Obstacles. The findings of the study suggested that students have to continue their careers as academicians, and are aware that career planning is limited to participating in academic congresses, writing articles, and preparing research projects. The students stated that they do not demand anything from their supervisors with regards to planning their careers. This is related to students and supervisors having insufficient knowledge on this issue, and supervisors inadequate cooperation with the sector/industry.