What constitutes good academic advising? Nursing students' perceptions of academic advising.

Effective academic advising is a dynamic process that facilitates student development, making it a significant investment in students and the academic institutions they attend. It is important to ask what constitutes good academic advising, beginning with an understanding of the nature of the advisor-advisee relationship. This study examined nursing students' perceptions of the characteristics and functions of effective academic advisors. Thirty nursing students and 33 prenursing students were surveyed. When compared with extant education and pedagogical research, being authentic and possessing moral virtues such as caring and trustworthiness were unique characteristics identified by prenursing students. Attempts to rank the importance of advisor functions were not successful, although the most important and least important functions were identified. Implications for practice and suggestions for further study are presented.