Exploring mental health students’ perceptions of role models

This article describes and reflects on a qualitative study that attempted to develop further understanding of the concept of role models, using the experiences of third-year students undertaking mental health nurse education. Although there is a wealth of literature regarding role models, little exists that acknowledges what, in this case, students want of a role model, or how the students identify the positive attributes of a significant role model. The researcher used a qualitative approached based on phenomenological methods. The research question used, was: 'From the viewpoint of a third-year student undertaking mental health nurse education, what is the phenomenon referred to as role model?'