Introduction: Counseling and guidance are activities that assist individuals in overcoming their problems. Universities and student communities encounter challenges, highlighting the importance of comprehensive student support.
Objective: This research aimed to identify the counseling and guidance requirements of Shahroud University of Medical Sciences students during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted using a census method on 400 students from Shahroud University of Medical Sciences. Data collection involved two demographic questionnaires and Rabiei et al.’s guidance and counseling questionnaire. Subsequently, the data was entered into SPSS 18 and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics.
Result: The study revealed that out of 400 students involved, 254 were male and the remaining were female. The majority of participants were aged 18-20 (47.3%). Variables such as age (P=0.041), faculty (P=0.005), field of study (P=0.016), entry year (P=0.024), and mother’s occupation (P=0.039) showed a significant correlation with counseling and guidance needs. The main priorities in counseling and guidance needs were personal growth (19.50±53.53), educational needs (17.75±6.02), family and marriage needs (16.66±6.42), job needs (16.31±4.99), and emotional and psychological needs (14.63±4.94). The total score for counseling needs was 84.87±23.28.
Conclusion: The study results revealed that the counseling and guidance needs score was below 100, indicating a good score. Nonetheless, it is crucial for universities and educational institutions to address these issues for growth, enhancement of students’ individual situations, and to sustain and improve these conditions through proper planning.