Community Service Nurses’ Experiences Regarding Mentoring in South Africa

Abstract

Newly qualified nurses are mandated to do compulsory community service after completion of their education. Anecdotal evidence indicates that these newly qualified nurses are not properly mentored. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of community service nurses (CSNs) regarding their mentoring in the public health facilities in the North West province (NWP), South Africa. A qualitative exploratory descriptive contextual design was applied to get a better understanding of mentoring as experienced by CSNs in the NWP. A tape recorder was used to capture the interviews conducted with 28 newly qualified nurses who completed their community service two to three years ago and who were working at public health facilities in the NWP. ATLAS.ti 7 was used to analyse the data obtained from the participants. Three themes, namely (1) a lack of mentoring, (2) challenges of performing community service nursing, and (3) positive experiences emerged from the data collected from the CSNs. These themes were supported by the following sub-themes: Lack of supervision and support; no proper orientation in general; negative attitudes of other nurses to CSNs; unrealistic expectations from CSNs; getting blamed and bullied; CSNs’ lack of practical experience; inadequacy regarding their professional role; use of their education; and gained independence. The study recommended that the facility managers and different stakeholders work together in supporting the CSNs. This will minimise stress and a lack of confidence among CSNs and improve quality patient care.