When nurses become researchers: ethical challenges in doctoral supervision
Moving from a fast-paced clinical environment to the norms and expectations of academic research can be challenging.
Doctoral students in nursing face unique challenges during their transition from clinical practice to academia. A recent publication in Journal of Advanced Nursing explores the transition, and offers guidance to universities on how to support supervisors and PhD students.
Stefan Eriksson is Director of the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics and Associate Professor of Research Ethics.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasised the importance of a well-educated nursing workforce as essential to tackling global health challenges. Doctoral nursing education is increasingly acknowledged as a key driver in advancing clinical practice and research capabilities, enabling nurses to address the complexities of modern healthcare.
Nurses bring extensive practical experience, but many struggle to adapt to academic expectations, including theoretical frameworks, research methodologies and scholarly writing.
Moving from a fast-paced clinical environment to the norms and expectations of academic research can be challenging, highlighting the need for effective and ethical supervision to support student progress and retention.
“Supervisory power imbalances, unclear authorship practices, and limited institutional support may create ethical concerns, such as conflicts of interest when supervisory priorities align more closely with personal research goals than with students’ academic development,” says Stefan Eriksson, Director of the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics at Uppsala University and one of the authors of the paper.
Tove Godskesen is Professor of Nursing at Nord University in Norway and Associated Researcher at the Centre.
According to the authors, ethically sound supervision is foundational to the success of doctoral education in nursing and health sciences, particularly as students navigate the complexities of academic and clinical environments.
“Global nursing education needs to integrate ethics further into doctoral training. Our findings highlight the need for institutions to move beyond reactive solutions and to embed proactive, ethically grounded supervision policies,” says Tove Godskesen, associated researcher at the Centre and Professor in Nursing at Nord University, Norway and first author of the paper.
Practical implications include the adoption of supervision agreements, structured feedback systems and mandatory training modules to help both supervisors and students to recognise and address ethical tensions.
According to the authors, academic institutions should ensure oversight mechanisms (such as supervision audits or peer review of supervisory practices) are established to uphold transparency and accountability. Resources that support students' emotional well-being should be institutionalised rather than optional.
By Anna Holm Bodin
Godskesen, T., M. Grandahl, A. N. Hagen, and S. Eriksson. 2025. “Ethical Challenges and Strategies in Nursing Doctoral Supervision: A Systematic Mixed-Method Review.” Journal of Advanced Nursing 1–18. DOI: 10.1111/jan.70298.