Objective: Student-faculty interaction outside the classroom in higher education is a well-studied phenomenon and is linked directly to office hours. Research has shown the significance of these interactions on student success; however, underuse of office hours remains a problem. Historical research has examined perceptions of students while fewer address faculty. There is limited investigation into nursing, where students must be successful on high stakes NCLEX testing after graduation. This

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... udy investigated nursing faculty perceptions of student-faculty interaction outside the classroom in relation to office hours.Methods: A qualitative design elicited responses from full time nursing faculty at one university school of nursing in the southeastern United States. Ten participants were interviewed using a semi-structured script. Data analysis revealed nursing faculty perceptions in relation to office hours.Results: The following themes emerged in relation to office hours and nursing faculty perceptions: (a) "At any point my door is always open", (b) "I like having that flexibility, it does help", and (c) "I'm basically 24/7. I really am". Technology was embedded throughout the themes. Some limitations existed, such as reflexivity of the researchers, small sample size, and final sample bias.Conclusions: Findings from the study can guide policies in higher education, specifically the way office hour mandates are implemented. Increasing student-faculty interaction outside the classroom is a worthwhile goal that is important in schools of nursing where success on high stakes NCLEX testing reflects the integrity of the school.