title: The experience of sessional teachers in nursing: A qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Worldwide, there is a growing reliance on sessional teachers in universities. This trend is reflected in an undergraduate nursing program in a large Australian metropolitan university where a significant proportion of contact hours is staffed by sessional teachers, yet little is known about what type of support is needed for sessional teachers to optimise their capacity to contribute to the academic program.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the experiences of sessional teachers in a Bachelor of Nursing program in an Australian university.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is an exploratory qualitative study; fifteen sessional teachers were interviewed using semi-structured questions to explore their experiences of teaching.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted in a large metropolitan school of nursing located on three sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  A purposive sample of 15 sessional teachers was interviewed for this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews were conducted face to face. Thematic analysis was used to identify major themes in the interview data and collaborative analysis was undertaken to ensure rigour.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings revealed that sessional teachers enjoyed teaching, were committed to their role and viewed their clinical currency as a valuable asset for teaching. However, participants also spoke about wanting a sense of belonging to the School, with most feeling they were "outsiders". Areas identified for improvement included system and process issues, micro teaching and assessment skills, classroom management and timely access to resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need to improve sessional teachers' sense of belonging and to provide an inclusive structure and culture to optimise their capacity to contribute to the academic program.
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: k.dixon@uws.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: a.cotton@uws.edu.au.
authors.forename: Antoinette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: r.moroney@uws.edu.au.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moroney
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: y.salamonson@uws.edu.au.
authors.forename: Yenna
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Salamonson
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005181:Faculty, Nursing / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D011361:Professional Competence; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013192:Staff Development
keywords: Casual; Casualisation; Education; Nurse; Semi-structured interviews; Sessional teachers; Workforce