Experiences of Iranian Nursing Faculty Members on Working in Conflict Climate

BACKGROUND: Few studies have been conducted on role conflict in nursing faculty in the world. This research reports the first study about this subject in Iran. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of role conflict in Iranian nursing faculty members. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using a conventional content analysis approach. We used semi-structured and in-depth interviews by purposive sampling of 19 (15 instructors, three group managers and one educational assistant) participants to identify the influential factors of role conflict among nurse faculty members, working in seven nursing colleges in Iran. RESULTS: The three following categories emerged from data analysis: “roles Interference”; “role ambiguity”, and “conflicting expectations”. The main theme was “working in conflict climate”. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the influential factors that could produce role conflict for nursing faculty members. The results can help university leaders to improve nursing faculty working conditions.