Professional approach: the key feature of effective clinical educator in Iran.

Clinical educators have an important role in the successful completion of a student's clinical education. Clinical educating is a dynamic process that occurs in a variety of socio-cultural contexts. This study was conducted to determine Iranian nursing students and faculty members' perceptions of effective clinical educator characteristics. This study was based on Grounded Theory method. A total of 10 nursing students and clinical educators voluntarily participated in this study. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews. The analysis was carried out by the Straus and Corbin method. Findings of the study yielded five significant categories. These include (1) personal traits; (2) meta-cognition; (3) making clinical learning enjoyable; (4) being a source of support; (5) being a role model. The core variable "professional approach" in clinical education integrates these categories. The results of the study illustrated that, in an Iranian context, effective clinical educators are those who are in harmony with the spirit of nursing, adopt a reflective approach, make clinical learning enjoyable and provide a patient-centred care. They act as a role model enabling their students to manage their vocational challenges, which are a direct result of the specific socio-cultural conditions of nursing profession in Iran. Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd.