“My Greatest Fear Is Becoming a Robot”: The Paradox of Transitioning to Nursing Practice in Lebanon

Abstract

We investigated the challenges final-year nursing students (FYNSs) and first-year registered nurses (FYRNs) face as they transition to nursing practice in Lebanon. Our purpose was to understand the challenges of transition from the perspective of FYNS and FYRNs. We conducted focus group discussions with FYNSs and FYRNs recruited from four leading universities. Thematic analysis identified an unexpected paradox that has implications for quality of nursing care and retention of graduates. While humanoids are marketed to communicate empathically with patients, FYNSs in Lebanon struggle to resist becoming robots.