Guidelines to facilitate acceptance of student accoucheurs in clinical practice at the Free State maternal healthcare institutions

Abstract

Background In South Africa, the South African Nursing Council (SANC) introduced a four-year comprehensive programme leading to registration as a Nurse (General, Psychiatric and Community) and Midwife, Regulation R425 of 22 February 1985 as amended. This regulation requires student nurses to be trained in all disciplines irrespective of their gender. Student accoucheurs studying at the Free State School of Nursing are faced with resistance, discrimination, rejection and unacceptability by pregnant women during their clinical placement at the Free State maternal health care institutions. Considerable studies have been conducted on males in nursing, but no guidelines have been developed to facilitate student accoucheurs’ acceptance in maternal health care.

Aim of the study The aim of the study was to explore and describe the views of student accoucheurs and women regarding the maternal health care services rendered by student accoucheurs, and ultimately to develop guidelines to facilitate acceptance of student accoucheurs in clinical practice at the Free State maternal health care institutions.

Methodology An explorative, descriptive, and qualitative research design was employed to conduct the study. The views of student accoucheurs and women, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for purposeful sampling, were explored and described. Two data collection sets were used to collect data, namely: individual face to face semi- structured interviews with pregnant women and focus groups with student accoucheurs. Data were analysed thematically, and the findings were triangulated with the integration of Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations as a theoretical framework guiding the study to enable drawing of commonalities regarding the phenomena. ii

Findings The findings revealed that women in the Free State Province are culturally and religiously diverse and have different beliefs, values and practices regarding the presence of student accoucheurs in maternal health care institutions. There were a number of contributing factors to resistance, including embarrassment, fear of being seen naked by other men, lack of career knowledge about nursing, age of student accoucheurs and non-exposure to maternal health care services rendered by accoucheurs. The findings of the research study led to the development of guidelines and recommendations for their implementation by stakeholders involved in student accoucheurs’ training in the Free State Province.