Theme 1.3: Uncertainties Causing Burden on Emotional Being Empirical findings revealed that negative attitudes of experienced midwives towards

CHAPTER 4 | 4.3.1.3. Theme 1.3: Uncertainties Causing Burden on Emotional Being

4.3.1.3. Theme 1.3: Uncertainties Causing Burden on Emotional Being

CHAPTER 4 | 4.3.1.3.2 Sub-Theme 1.3.2: Negative Comments Occurrences Experienced from Experienced Midwives

duty. In their study on ‘support of newly qualified staff, Dixon et al. (2015) reported that graduates preferred to have individual mentors who would supervise and mentor them during performance of delegated tasks. Participants also reported that allocation of individual mentors would strengthen the relationship.

NGM 3 from MR hospital reflected a different view when she reported that:

Sometimes they delegate us alone, but sometimes they delegate us with an experienced midwife. But it is all the same because you end up working alone as she will also be doing something else, because of lack of staff.

Delaney (2013) reported that newly graduated midwives need support in all spheres especially emotional, because; how do we expect them to provide holistic care to patients when they too are emotionally unstable?

4.3.1.3.2 Sub-Theme 1.3.2: Negative Comments Occurrences Experienced from Experienced Midwives

Based on the findings, experienced midwives often passed negative remarks towards newly graduated midwives, which negatively affected their performance. Lennox and Foureur (2012) reported that midwives used ineffective ways of communicating with the newly qualified midwives, which left them offended.

NGM 5 from TR hospital reported:

The relationship between us and some of the experienced midwives is good, but if you make a mistake you will know them better because they will shout at you.

NGM 2 from MR hospital said:

CHAPTER 4 | 4.3.1.3.2 Sub-Theme 1.3.2: Negative Comments Occurrences Experienced from Experienced Midwives

Some of the experienced midwives are good but some are negative.

Those who are negative are always ready to attack you with negative remarks every time you ask something, and it’s so frustrating.

A confirmation of what has been reported by NGM 2 from MR hospital was made by NGM 5 from LR hospital who reported:

I don’t feel comfortable asking questions because there are those experienced midwives who always pass remarks such as ‘you think you know much,’ so, I feel if I ask questions they will think that I want to challenge them. One day my colleague asked a question, and was told to either consult her books or her colleagues.

The study by Davis et al. (2011) is in line with what participants said when he reported that inability to feel comfortable to ask questions from experienced members was evident in a study conducted in Australia, about experiences of new graduates regarding working in clinical areas; as a result, new graduates presented with poor performance.

NGM 3 from LR hospital stated:

The body language’ really tells that they don’t want to entertain whatever you are asking. There are those who would roll their eyes.

Some will just keep quiet and look at you. The way they look at you sends obvious messages that they are not willing to assist you.

NGM 4 from SRR hospital said:

I asked if one of the experienced midwives would just come and be next to the delivery bed as I was assisting a woman to deliver. She did not.

In a study conducted by Fenwick et al. (2012), newly qualified midwives experienced

CHAPTER 4 | 4.3.1.3.2 Sub-Theme 1.3.2: Negative Comments Occurrences Experienced from Experienced Midwives

a sense of being ignored and/or left to flounder when they were not attended to while asking for assistance. Participants also reported that the context of these behaviours was during a clinical task or skill and sometimes in front of the women which added to their distress. The authors further reported the most disturbing descriptions of passive aggressive behaviours revealed by participants, which they perceived to be ‘bullying’

behaviours. Such behaviours included belittlement, sighing, hesitation before helping or a slight delay and the tone of voice (Fenwick et al., 2012).

There was a general consensus that some midwives used their position in a negative manner. Perhaps, most striking were participants’ descriptions of the communication patterns that sometimes subtly and sometimes quite overtly, engendered feelings of guilt, blame and exclusion (Lennox and Foureur, 2012). In a study conducted by Kensington et al. (2016), newly qualified midwives described feeling confused and upset at being treated badly by experienced midwives. Participants also reported that they needed experienced midwives to role model expected behaviours about what is appropriate in creating a trusting atmosphere full of respect within a professional relationship (Kensington et al., 2016).

NGM 2 from MP hospital reported:

One day I made a mistake of going for a tea break without having reported. I was scolded at and a lot of negative remarks were passed. I apologized and thought it was over. The next day when I reported before going, I was reminded of yesterday’s incident and told not to report anything to anybody anymore because I was behaving like a boss. I was so confused and did not know what to do.

According to Dixon et al. (2015), effective communication between experienced and newly graduated midwives is critical to the fundamental success of transition support.

CHAPTER 4 | 4.3.1.4 Theme 1.4: Theory Practice Gap

Participants talked of growing more confident during the period of transition when they had good clinical support.