Psychological Experience of On-the-Job Nursing Graduate Students in a Province of Eastern China in the Context of Popular Education: a Qualitative Study

Background: China’s higher education has developed steadily because of its effective social background. Many nurses have entered adult continuing education to study for on-the-job nursing graduate degrees. Although the overall quality of the nursing team has improved, some problems still remain. Aim This study aimed to explore the psychological experience of nursing students in a province of eastern China in the context of popular education. Methods For descriptive qualitative research, both objective and snowball sampling were employed to collect data via a semi-structured in-depth interview ( N  = 13) with on-the-job nursing graduate students in all learning stages from three universities in a province of eastern China. Interviews were recorded using a recorder and analyzed verbatim by two researchers. This study followed the comprehensive criteria checklist for reporting qualitative studies. Results A vast majority of the 13 nursing graduate students who completed the survey were women, with an average age of 29 years; 4 themes and 11 subcategories appeared. The four main themes were as follows: (1) learning motivation, (2) social role conflict, (3) support resources, and (4) change of concept. Conclusions In the face of conflicts between work, study, and family, nurses who pursue graduate studies in on-the-job nursing overcome difficulties in successfully completing their studies. In this process, some problems in the training system of on-the-job postgraduates are also exposed, which need immediate attention. The different perspectives provided in this study are expected to impact the future policy formulation and research direction of adult continuing education and medical in-service education.