Nursing students' perceptions of faculty trustworthiness: Thematic analysis of a longitudinal study

Background: Although trust and perceived trustworthiness have been studied for decades, few studies have examined nursing students' perceptions of faculty trustworthiness. Objectives: To uncover the characteristics and behaviors of faculty members that lead nursing students to trust them. Design: A longitudinal, qualitative study using focus group data. Setting: A baccalaureate nursing school at a state university in the southeastern United States. Participants: Two cohorts of nursing students (starting in the Fall of 2015 or Spring of 2016) during the beginning, middle, and end of their advancement through the nursing school curriculum. Methods: Eleven focus groups were held with a total of 77 participants from a purposeful sample of two cohorts. Thematic analysis was conducted on the focus group data. Results: Three core themes emerged regarding the characteristics and behaviors of faculty members that lead nursing students to trust them: Giving of Oneself, Being Competent, and Having Integrity. The study findings provide guidance to nursing faculty regarding how to be perceived as trustworthy by students and how to avoid being perceived as untrustworthy. Conclusions: Upon examining their personal traits, words and behaviors, nursing educators may choose to change aspects of their demeanor to foster a student-faculty relationship built on trust.