Identidad y lengua

This is the second sub-theme under negative experiences of students regarding mentoring. It will be discussed further under categories and sub-categories.

3.4.3.1 Category 1: Humiliation of students

Feelings of shock and dismay were expressed as participants articulated how they experienced humiliation by most registered nurses. They were shouted at in front of other learners, patients and visitors. Participants are of the opinion that, mentoring becomes quite difficult when a large number of students is placed within a unit at a specific time; it results in the student nurse not benefiting and the registered nurse not coping, and therefore becoming frustrated with the large volume of students.

“They will shout [at] you and humiliate you.”

“Even if you ask the sister what is something. She will shout [at] you in front of the patient and say at your level you don’t know this. You [are] supposed to know this information at your level.”

“There is a lot of negative attitude with professionals.”

“You stay away. You tend to stay away because there is nothing, as a junior [there is] nothing you can do kaloku…To somebody who is a senior to you if they’ve got a negative attitude as I said you begin to teach each other.”

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3.4.3.1.2 Category 2: Lack of supportive approach in dealing with students

Most of the participants expressed that professional nurses denied them the opportunity to learn because some of the registered nurses do not like them. Student nurses are ridiculed when asking questions, they are told they are supposed to know the information at their level of training. Participants indicated that registered nurses told them to go the lecturer and that they were not lecturers.

“Ma’am, in other institutions you make a blunder and they are making fun of it. The professional nurses between each other they start making fun of it. It doesn’t help because the next time you [are] allocated to do something then you don’t want to do it because you know if you make a mistake they are going to laugh at you.”

3.4.3.1.3 Category 3: Experiencing of a feeling of not being wanted and accepted: display of anti-student attitude

Participants in this study felt they were not accepted in the clinical field by registered nurses because of their display of anti-student behaviour. Some of the participants expressed how they were made to work like slaves. They were also concerned about irregularities with off duty, tea-time and lunch breaks. They expressed concern about not being allowed to enter the staff room and to leave their bags there, or even to sit there during breaks. They verbalised that they were not being recognised as human beings and felt that registered nurses maintained a bad attitude towards them. They also stated that there were communication barriers. They felt the suffering of being a student and stated it was difficult to become attached to ward staff.

“You will think they are anti-student.”

“Uhrmm…when you work night duty you work like a slave because the nurses just don’t do anything.”

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“We suffer a lot, we suffer (sigh……all group members).”

“I suffered, I could not meet i…..requirements with nursery in time because of such attitudes.” “Sometimes you get a person who’s very difficult to attach, she doesn’t want no person to attach to her, then it means you gonna suffer...”

“There is a lot of bad attitude towards us; they don’t regard us as staff members.”

“We don’t sit in the tea room, we don’t warm our food in the microwaves and they don’t keep our food in the fridges in the tea room. They ask us to go to the nurses’ home or kioski if you want to sit.”

3.4.3.1.4 Category 4: Having a feeling of being marginalised

In addition to the experience of professional nurses having a negative attitude towards student nurses and the fact that they furthermore refuse to teach them, it emerged that favouritism was rife among some professional nurses. Students furthermore were blamed when things went wrong or were missing, even if they were not involved. In view of the above, participants verbalised that it was very difficult to feel attached to the profession. Students stated that they were blamed; were forced to admit patients; at times were expected to do crucial procedures like delivering patients in Midwifery on their own and were afraid to ask for help.

“Yes, improper disposable of uhm…of anything that goes wrong is the students.”

“And sometimes in the ward there is favouritism. From experience now I was at work on Tuesday and there was a lot of favouritism, because we were not allocated in that team neh…in the beginning. Now we had to work hard at that team. First question they asked us, why are you working in this team. Can you see now our student is not here?”

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“They will continue showing attitude and [if] anything goes wrong in the ward and if the students are there, it’s the students…..”

3.4.3.1.5 Category 5: Feeling threatened

Some student nurses hold the opinion that some registered nurses feel threatened and intimidated by the presence of student nurses in the clinical practice, especially by those who are about to qualify. In the clarifying focus group interviews, the participants further explained that the fear of the registered nurse is due to the fact that students understand and insist on following the correct steps of the procedures, and also query what they observe to be the incorrect way of doing a procedure by registered nurses. They further indicated that professional nurses take „short cuts‟ when it comes to following procedures. This habit becomes a problem when students are present and student nurses challenge incorrect procedures, so this poses a threat to professional nurses.

“And you know mam…when you are there they are always complaining of equipment.” “They say ooh …the students are going to waste our material because they are using theory taught in their class, sterility, wearing gloves when doing procedures... they say there is no need to wear gloves when we are making beds and we are told we must wear gloves maybe we …..gonna get, maybe secretions. They will say we [are] wasteful with needles and gloves.”

3.4.3.1.6 Category 6: Created feelings of unaccepted behaviour within a professional environment

Most participants felt like that they were undermined by professional nurses who are supposed to mentor them in the clinical practice. Participants expressed that no respect and etiquette was practised. One participant had felt like strangling the sister; they felt that they had to beg to be taught by the sisters. The views were expressed as follows:

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“What kind of sister are the two of you going to be next year. I just wanted to strangle her.”

“And ma’am to add on respect, I believe it’s on the lines of etiquette. You get to find in class you are taught respect and ethics of a nurse. But when you get to the clinical area they are not there. Nobody practises etiquette. So it takes away the beauty of nursing”.

3.5 Summary

This chapter has presented research findings from the data analysis in the form of two major themes, sub-themes, categories and sub-categories which reflected the positive experiences of student with regard to mentoring and negative experiences of students regarding mentoring. Quotes are presented to highlight actual statements as they were made by the participants. Chapter 4 focuses on the conceptualisation of the study.

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