Experiences of nursing students regarding interdisciplinary postgraduate supervision at the University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa: teaching and learning in health care professions

Abstract

The quality of the relationship between post graduate students and supervisors directly influences the quality of the post graduate education experience. Due to a lack of capacity in terms of nurse academics with the required credentials to supervise post graduate students, almost 50% of students in the participating university’s department of nursing have supervisors from other academic departments within the same university. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of nursing post graduate students regarding interdisciplinary supervision. The participants were selected on a voluntary, convenience and purposive basis. In-depth one-on-one interviews were conducted with 16 consenting post graduate students who registered for the first time as nursing post graduate research students during 2012 and 2013 academic session. The themes identified were support of students, accessibility and availability of supervisors and knowledge and expertise in the field of nursing. Although some of the participants reported experiences that had negative impacts, others reported positive experiences in their interaction with interdisciplinary and nursing supervisors.