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Social culture and the bullying of midwifery students whilst on clinical placement : A qualitative descriptive exploration
Capper, Tanya Muurlink, Olav Williamson, Moira
Capper, Tanya
Muurlink, Olav
Williamson, Moira
Abstract
The context within which midwifery students are professionally socialised is thought to impact upon the development of their sense of belongingness, their attitudes and values, and their commitment to the midwifery profession. Negative forms of socialisation are known to lead to undesirable outcomes including desensitisation about humanistic needs. This has potential to extend to an acceptance of workplace bullying and unfair treatment of others, including midwifery students whilst on clinical placement. This study aimed to explore how the social culture of the maternity setting influences midwifery students’ experiences of being bullied whilst on clinical placement. One hundred and twenty midwifery students from Australia and the United Kingdom completed a qualitative online survey and the data was thematically analysed. One main overarching theme and four sub themes were identified. These were: 'the organisational culture of acceptance: “in front of”', 'brazen expression', 'group buy-in', 'suppression of dissent', and 'collateral damage'. Each of these factors enabled replication of the problem and led to perpetuation of the bullying cycle. This study illuminated that an entrenched culture of acceptance exists which impacts the students educational experience, the care received by mothers and babies, and the reputation of the midwifery profession.
Keywords
midwifery education, bullying, workplace culture, clinical placement
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Nurse Education in Practice
Book
Volume
52
Issue
Page Range
1-7
Article Number
Article 103045
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled