Professional socialisation in the clinical training environment of anaesthetic technicians’: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Professional socialisation is important for developing professional identity among newly graduated health professionals. Benefits extend tojob satisfaction, work engagement, internal motivation, adjustment to professional roles, social acceptance, and a sense of belonging. The clinical environment plays an important role in determining positive or negative professional socialisation experiences. In New Zealand, the education programme for anaesthetic technicians (ATs) is transitioning from an apprenticeship model to a three-year Bachelor of Health Science. As both models include a significant element of clinical exposure, it is important that we understand what influences the professional socialisation experience. There is a lack of studies focused on professional socialisation with AT education. Therefore, this study explored the experiences of recent graduate ATs in the clinical environment to inform the ongoing development of the training programme. Methods: This study used a qualitative, descriptive methodology. Five ATs were recruited in using purposive sampling in New Zealand during October 2020. All had graduated within the past 3 years. Semi-structured individual interviews explored participants’ interpretations of their professional socialisation experiences in the clinical environment. Data were analysed using standard qualitative analysis. Results: Three main themes and eight subthemes emerged from the interviews: learning to behave (professionally and by following role models); learning to survive (in a hierarchical environment, with a derogatory view of being invisible, with a lost voice striving for acceptance and by conforming); and learning to thrive (with support from the professional ‘family’ and by learning about each other). Conclusions: The findings suggest that ATs’ professional socialisation occurs in a challenging clinical context with competing professional identities and encompasses positive and negative learning experiences. In this environment, ATs’ student status may be perceived as weak and predispose them to conforming to survive. Academic and clinical education facilitators should be aware of the need to advocate for positive professional socialisation experiences. It is also important to enable an inter-professional identity to emerge to promote collaboration among future health professionals.