Exploring the Transition Experiences of Ethnically Minoritised Student Nurses into University.

Aim

: This study examines the transition experience of ethnically minoritised (EM) nursing students into a North of England university using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework. This includes an exploration of the institutional barriers to transitioning and how the students see themselves as emerging professionals.

Background

Belonging is a necessary condition for students to obtain a positive learning experience and successfully transition (Archer et al., 2003; Frame, 2015). The Office for Students (2020b) acknowledges that the issues EM students face is complex and also affect their sense of belonging. The ‘Closing the Gap? Trends in Educational Attainment and Disadvantage’ policy (Education Policy Institute, 2017) identifies that EM students are disadvantaged by degree classifications based on their ethnicity. The policy aims to ensure that all students can achieve their full potential regardless of their social, economic or cultural background. However, students can only achieve their full potential if they feel a sense of belonging within educational spaces. Structural racism within nursing impacts EM students’ educational experience, hence making it imperative to dismantle the system (Broome & Villarruel, 2020; Naqvi et al., 2015). Furthermore, discussing racial inequalities in nursing education represents a significant challenge as no nurse believes they are racist (Bennett et al., 2019).

Method

The study uses narrative inquiry and semi-structured interviews to obtain the participant's stories. Seven ethnically minoritised student nurses were interviewed individually three times over a year to critically examine their experiences of transitioning into university.

Findings

Using thematic analysis, the findings identified three key themes which included experiences with the curriculum, placement, and support. The findings have demonstrated that racism is embedded in all aspects of nursing education and the student lifecycle. All the participants shared experiences of racism in the form of overt incidents and microaggressions. The key contribution to knowledge from this study is how CRT which acknowledges intersectional influences is applied to understand the transition experience of EM student nurses into university and their placement experiences within a UK context. The participants have shared that racism is evident in all aspects of the nursing programme and that intersectionality impacts these experiences. Importantly the study has found that the experiences of EM students are nuanced and cannot be homogenised as the different intersectional characteristics they possess could impact their individual experiences.

Conclusion

The use of CRT, blended with intersectionality in research goes further than obtaining stories from marginalised individuals. Action needs to be undertaken by white nurses, students, and educators. The responsibility does not lie with ethnically minoritised individuals to fix the issue or find the solutions caused by systemic racism.