Educational Strategies for Professional Socialisation of Student Nurses

Professional socialisation is a process whereby the professional values and the development of a professional identity are internalised (Dinmohammadi, Peyrovi, & Mehrdad, 2013). During this process student nurses are influenced by a variety of determinants (socialisation agents), such as the students’ own value orientation and the role modelling of educators and professional nurses. This process is ultimately reflected in how professional nurses display their conduct and nursing care. Undesirable conduct, which is evident from reports of substandard care, are numerous (James & Miza, 2015; Oosthuizen, 2012). Educational strategies play a pivotal role in this process.

The quantitative evidence from a sequential mixed methods study revealed the perceptions of nurse educators regarding their role in the teaching and facilitation of professional socialisation. A questionnaire developed from themes of the qualitative phase was administered to a census of nurse educators in Gauteng, yielding a 46% (n=128) response rate. The qualitative data were obtained through purposively selecting 14 professional nurses who participated in two focus group interviews, sharing their perceptions of their role in the professional socialisation of students. Five focus group interviews were conducted with 48 student nurses (8-10 per group) to obtain their professional socialisation experiences as members of the nursing profession. Tech’s method of data analysis was used to analyse the data while various methods of trustworthiness were applied.

The quantitate data were analysed using the SAS/STAT® software, Version 9.2 of the SAS System and presented by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. Content and face validity were applied, while questionnaire pre-testing and a Cronbach alpha above 0.7 were applied to establish reliability.

The qualitative data that emerged as themes being influential in the professional socialisation of students were, the professional nurse, clinical learning environment, values and beliefs of the nursing profession, the educator, gender and cultural orientation. These themes and literature informed the quantitative data collection instrument. Six, professional socialisation constructs namely, attributes of an educator, values and beliefs of the nursing profession, the clinical environment, teaching strategies and cultural awareness were found to be socialisation agents in the professional socialisation of students. All data were integrated with literature, and guidelines to support the professional socialisation of students were developed and validated.

This presentation focuses on the developed guideline which addresses the planning and implementation of educational strategies, aimed at supporting student nurses in their professional socialisation. These strategies include: reflection in the teaching and learning environment where an awareness is created about students’ own feelings, attitudes and knowledge to reach a new understanding of nursing as a profession; problem-based learning whereby students are allowed to discover solutions to pre-determined problems; peer-group learning which allows students to learn from one another and find their identity within the nursing profession; the influence of the hidden curriculum in shaping students to be a professional nurse; preceptorship and mentorship in supporting students with their learning. The role of the educator in facilitating these strategies in order to empower students, is essential for optimal professional socialisation of student nurses.