Exploring the lived experience of student nurses perspective of racism within education and clinical practice: utilising the flipped classroom

Miller, Eula and Nambiar-Greenwood, Gayatri ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6139-1936 (2022) Exploring the lived experience of student nurses perspective of racism within education and clinical practice: utilising the flipped classroom. Nurse Education Today, 119. p. 105581. ISSN 0260-6917

Preview

Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (202kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: The experiential learning gained by student nurses and educators using flipped classroom principles, in conjunction with data from a subsequent study, are explored in this paper. It facilitated a deeper understanding of the ‘lived experiences’ of racism for Black African-Caribbean student nurses at university and within the clinical practice environment. Method: The qualitative approach of ‘Conversations with a purpose’, using recorded focus group discussions was utilised as a pragmatic research methodology to explore perspectives of nursing students. Results: Direct and indirect racism was experienced by student nurses in both, practice, and educational environments. Common issues that arose centred on patient's refusal of care, poor support of students, discomfort or denial of staff in addressing sensitive issues, questioning of students' clinical competencies, and educators using ‘otherness’ (ethnicity, and related stereotypes) to emphasise limitations of certain groups of students. Discussion: The flipped classroom can be one way of creating inclusive safe spaces for discussing sensitive topics pertaining to racism, inequity, and social injustice. Nurse educators need to engage in providing awareness around these subjects, that are perceived as uncomfortable and unspoken. Without this, no significant paradigmatic shifts can be made around supporting our students in their lived experience of racism and discrimination.