An investigation into the effect of treating cancer patients on the identity of the 2004 stage two radiation therapy students

Abstract

The aim of this research is to determine what effect treating cancer patients has on the student's ability to develop their own identity. I wanted to determine if the nature of their job would have a negative effect on the stories they tell about themselves, or the feelings they experience. As a radiation therapist it is important to have a sense of self so you can enter fully into relationships with patients, and develop sound coping mechanisms to face the potential challenge of the clinical environment. I choose a qualitative case study approach to the research, and all of the 30 enrolled stage two students were given the opportunity to complete an open-ended questionnaire, of the 30 students 21 responded. I will conclude that this cohort of radiation therapy students are developing a new set of values, beliefs and goals as a direct result of their interaction with the cancer patient. With reference to Marcia's (1966) status levels of identity some students arc actually expressing a firm sense of self and an achieved identity status. The clinical experience, however, has the potential to leave some students struggling in the temporary state of moratorium, as they search for new ways of coping, or potentially retreating to a diffused status where they are unable to commit to a career or relationship. Counselling or Supervision needs to be made available to students so they can explore their feelings and be able to implement coping mechanisms. This would better equip them with the ability to answer the '"who am I'" question retrieving themselves from a state of moratorium, or even one of the lower identity statuses, into an achieved status.