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A critical ethnographic study of discriminatory social practice during clinical practice in emergency medical care
Author(s)
Maake, Tshepo Nelson
Date Issued
2020
Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Abstract
In the post-apartheid era, South Africa adopted an inclusive education system that
was free of discrimination. This study uses an auto-ethnographic approach within
the conceptual framework of Critical Race Theory using critical ethnographic
methodology to explore how discriminatory social practice continues to manifest
during clinical practice. As a qualitative study it examines the experiences and/or
perceptions of racial discrimination between emergency medical care students and
clinical mentors, emergency medical care students and patients, and clinical
mentors and patients within the Emergency Medical Service during clinical practice.
It is hoped that understanding the nature of discrimination may contribute towards
recourse and its future management thereof.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded and transcribed to enable the
author to conduct thematic analysis. The study purposively sampled 13 Bachelor of
Emergency Medical Care students and 5 Emergency Care (EC) providers for
participation. Focus was placed on understanding racial discriminatory experiences
of students and emergency care providers but due to the nature of the study, other
forms of discrimination emerged during data analysis.
While working with their mentors, student participants reported experiences of
racial and gender discrimination during work-integrated learning as they were
treated differently by their mentors and patients on the basis of skin colour and
gender which denied them an equal opportunity to learn during clinical practice.
Language was used as an intentional barrier to isolate students from the patients
during work-integrated learning because EC providers would intentionally speak in
a language not understood by the student and also fail to translate vital medical
information about the case to the student. This practice, therefore, prevents the
student from engaging in clinical decision-making or partaking in patient care.
Consequently, clinical attachment is viewed as counter-productive and the workintegrated
learning environment is not considered conducive for learning to take
place. Not only does unfair discrimination within the pre-hospital setting have an impact
on the learning opportunities of students but it also exists between EC providers.
Such practice violates basic human rights and has the potential to negatively
affect the clinical management of patients, thus it has the potential to violate the
patient’s rights. This study confirms the existence of discriminatory practices
during work-integrated learning which usually goes unnoticed and unreported, and
as such, lacks a structured approach to redress the lack of inclusivity and equal
access to clinical education.
was free of discrimination. This study uses an auto-ethnographic approach within
the conceptual framework of Critical Race Theory using critical ethnographic
methodology to explore how discriminatory social practice continues to manifest
during clinical practice. As a qualitative study it examines the experiences and/or
perceptions of racial discrimination between emergency medical care students and
clinical mentors, emergency medical care students and patients, and clinical
mentors and patients within the Emergency Medical Service during clinical practice.
It is hoped that understanding the nature of discrimination may contribute towards
recourse and its future management thereof.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded and transcribed to enable the
author to conduct thematic analysis. The study purposively sampled 13 Bachelor of
Emergency Medical Care students and 5 Emergency Care (EC) providers for
participation. Focus was placed on understanding racial discriminatory experiences
of students and emergency care providers but due to the nature of the study, other
forms of discrimination emerged during data analysis.
While working with their mentors, student participants reported experiences of
racial and gender discrimination during work-integrated learning as they were
treated differently by their mentors and patients on the basis of skin colour and
gender which denied them an equal opportunity to learn during clinical practice.
Language was used as an intentional barrier to isolate students from the patients
during work-integrated learning because EC providers would intentionally speak in
a language not understood by the student and also fail to translate vital medical
information about the case to the student. This practice, therefore, prevents the
student from engaging in clinical decision-making or partaking in patient care.
Consequently, clinical attachment is viewed as counter-productive and the workintegrated
learning environment is not considered conducive for learning to take
place. Not only does unfair discrimination within the pre-hospital setting have an impact
on the learning opportunities of students but it also exists between EC providers.
Such practice violates basic human rights and has the potential to negatively
affect the clinical management of patients, thus it has the potential to violate the
patient’s rights. This study confirms the existence of discriminatory practices
during work-integrated learning which usually goes unnoticed and unreported, and
as such, lacks a structured approach to redress the lack of inclusivity and equal
access to clinical education.
Additional information
Thesis (Master of Emergency Medical Care (MEMC))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020
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