Insight into the emotional well-being of South African diagnostic radiography students during workplace learning

Introduction: Workplace learning is a significant component of radiography education. While studies about the structure, characteristics and coping mechanisms of workplace learning exist, diagnostic radiography students' emotional well-being during workplace learning remains unexplored. Therefore, this study investigated South African diagnostic radiography students’ emotional well-being during workplace learning. Methods: A quantitative approach using a cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data through an online questionnaire from undergraduate diagnostic radiography students at five randomly selected higher education institutions in South Africa. Data were analysed statistically. Results: The survey received 265 responses (24.2 % response rate). Most participants (39.6 %) were in their second year of study, 21 years old (28.1 %) and attended public workplace learning centers (52.7 %). The majority of participants (77.7 %) experienced emotionally challenging situations during workplace learning, with the highest levels of emotional distress in forensic radiography (28.6 %), interactions with doctors (19.5 %), and working with burn patients (48.6 %). To cope, 15 % focused on the tasks at hand, and 23.8 % wanted more support. Participants viewed challenges as opportunities for growth, with 65.8 % feeling more confident as they progressed in their degree and 77.2 % gaining awareness of their responses and resilience in the face of emotional challenges. Conclusion: South African diagnostic radiography students experience workplace learning challenges that affect their emotional well-being during workplace learning. While participants shared the need for more support, others saw it as an opportunity to grow and reflect on their responses and resilience. Implications for practice: The stressors identified in the study can be addressed to ensure diagnostic radiography students' emotional well-being, which impacts their cognition and quality of patient care.