The perceptions of KwaZulu-Natal nursing students about the discipline.

Abstract

This article reports on a descriptive study aimed at exploring the perceptions of student nurses about the past, present and future of the discipline. In-depth interviews with 12 students from KwaZulu-Natal were transcribed and analysed. Students showed a realistic appraisal of the discipline. They valued the essence of the profession, and were positive about their work and their training. They felt, however that nurses are not treated well by others, that the working conditions are poor and the quality of care often bad. They saw their current role as more autonomous than in the past, and saw the nurse as moving more into the community, becoming more specialised, and more entrepreneurial in future. They saw the challenges of the future in the areas of quality of care, improving training, recognition of the profession, and management, and dealing with the problem of HIV/AIDS.