As Clinical students it is within our curriculum to work certain hours in order to be a ‘Qualified professional’ according to the government.

Dear Mr. whoever you are

Please can you leave me unscarred 

Emotionally and physically i want no damage 

Especially my spirit, don’t leave me in anguish 

The looks, your speech, the way you demand control 

Whether in a classroom or breaking into my home 

What happened to the pride, dignity, love and respect 

Where did it go? And how do we get it back? 

Men and women take your place 

So the next generation can live in a safe space. 

During clinical hours most of our fellow students are having lectures where they are free to follow the flow of the world around them. In recent activities the university DVC shutdown classes, lectures and work related activity due to the on-going Gender Based Violence protests. The email stated” The university of the western cape’s executive management has decided to suspend academic activities with immediate effect, considering the short notice, there will be certain activities such as clinical practice, that cannot be suspended. As health professionals we understand that we cannot put off the treatment of our patients/clients, however the ‘ short notice’ of fellow students passing should not be a hindrance for students to partake in a worthy cause of protesting against Gender Based Violence.

During Clinical practice being exposed to inappropriate behaviour has sadly become the norm, brushing off the feeling of inappropriateness for the sake of professionalism. Addressing such issues with patients has also become part of most students routine and sadly has a huge effect of clinical professionals effectiveness. As a health care professional we are expected to treat all patients to the best of our abilities, however, this is difficult to do when your patient makes an inappropriate comment or ‘joke’

According to an article posted on in focus blog, it showed that violence against health care employees is a common act.75% of nearly 25,000 workplace assaults occur annually in healthcare settings, only 30% of nurses and 26% of emergency department physicians have reported incidents of violence, due to the fact that most healthcare professionals in the field consider it to be a normal part of the job. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines workplace violence as, “Incidents where staff are abused, threatened, or assaulted in circumstances related to their work, including commuting to and from work, involving an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, well-being, or health.”  (“WHO | Background”, 2019). WHO considers both physical and psychological harm, including attacks, verbal abuse, bullying, and both sexual and racial harassment, to be workplace violence (“WHO | Background”, 2019).
The government has taken initiatives to help protect employees in the healthcare field, but advocacy groups have stressed that more meaningful changes are needed (Wallace Stephens, 2019).  World Peace is something we all should aspire to ,given the state of our nation. It’s no use we continue to drive out darkness with darkness, this makes no logical sense. If we as a people cannot create the change starting within a faculty, workplace or government we will all be subjected to abuse whether explicit or implicit.

REFRENCES 

Central, C. (2019). South Africa’s shocking gender based violence statistics – Alberton Record. Retrieved 10 September 2019, from https://albertonrecord.co.za/225326/south-africas-shocking-gender-based-violence-statistics/
Wallace Stephens, W. (2019). Violence Against Healthcare Workers: A Rising Epidemic. Retrieved 12 September 2019, from https://www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/violence-against-healthcare-workers-a-rising-epidemic
WHO | Background. (2019). Retrieved 12 September 2019, from https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/activities/workplace/background/en/