Quality of Educational Services from the Perspective of Nursing Students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences: SERVQUAL Model

Because students receive a variety of educational services during their studies, their view of the services provided can be considered as one of the characteristics of quality in the university. This study was conducted to determine the quality of educational services from the perspective of nursing students.

A cross-sectional study was performed in the School of Nursing of Golestan University of Medical Sciences with a sample of 164 people. The data collection tool was a valid and reliable SERVQUAL questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-23 statistical software.

In all five dimensions of educational services (physical dimensions, guarantee, accountability, confidence, and empathy) there was a negative gap between the current and desired status of students and the quality of educational services. The highest mean gap was in the dimension of empathy and responsiveness (-1.73) and the lowest mean gap was related to the tangible dimension (-1.43). The age of students was directly and significantly related to the quality gap in the dimensions of confidence (P = 0.028) and empathy (P = 0.046). Gender of students with total quality gap (P = 0.004) and in the dimensions of confidence (P = 0.018), accountability (P = 0.003), guarantee (P = 0.013) and empathy (P = 0.001) P) and students' education also had a significant relationship in terms of confidence (P = 0.001).

Students' expectations are beyond their perception of the current situation and in none of the dimensions, their expectations have been met. Holding effective communication training courses and receiving feedback can play an effective role in improving the quality of educational services.