Experiences of bridging course learners regarding clinical supervision at the selected hospitals in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe experiences of bridging course learner nurses regarding clinical supervision at the selected hospitals in Vhembe district, Limpopo province. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, contextual and descriptive design was used and this approach was regarded as the most appropriate for this study. The population of this study consisted of the learner nurses in the Bridging Course Programme (R683) leading to registration as a General Nurse. Purposive, non-probability sampling method was used to select the participants. Data collection: Data was collected by means of focus group discussion interviews during which participants were able to describe their experiences of the clinical placement in the real life setting and the support received from the professional nurses, data were collected until data saturation was reached. Data analysis: The researcher used the process of bracketing and remained neutral, setting aside previous knowledge and beliefs about the phenomenon under investigation. The researcher listened to the audiotapes used for data collection several times until the researcher completely satisfied with the interpretation of the verbatim data. Ethical consideration: The researcher sought for approval to collect data from the appropriate authority at the University of Venda, the Provincial Department of Health and the bridging students in each institution.