Viewpoints of students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences regarding their academic advisors

Academic advisors have been proven important in students’ success. Insufficient guidance and counseling can delay professional and educational achievements. Proper counseling can provide opportunities for educational success and also positive change students’ behavioral models. This study was accomplished with the purpose of assigning the function of advisors from the viewpoint of the students. This descriptive study was done on 385 students of Shahid Sadoughi University. Randomized stratified sampling was used. The data were collected by completing the self-reported questionnaire and then were analyzed by SPSS software. Advisors’ functions in each of the items were evaluated. The significance level of 0.05 was considered. The majority of samples were from Nursing, Midwifery, and Public Health School and a few from Faculty of Medicine. The majority of students (41.8%) agreed to have the same advisor from the first term to the last. Also the results showed that the functions of advisors were poor in the areas of constant supervision and monitoring of students’ educational status (35.8%), preparing the timetable for performing the personal or group counseling (41.8%) and providing counseling sessions according to the timetable (42.3%). But their functions were fair in the areas of acceptable guidance of students in the educational problems (35.1%), and the advisor’s familiarity to educational regulations (43.9%). It is necessary to note that the advisor's ability in making the intimate relationship with students (37.1%), and the advisors’ motivation and tendency to guidance and counseling (30.1%) were the two items evaluated excellent by students. It is necessary that advisors make the students familiar with educational regulations at the first semester of higher education. Also, the policies and regulations for advisors will clarify their activities and will help them to perform better.