Managing the transition from student to staff nurse : an exploratory study.

Abstract

The aim of this study IS to explore the experiences of newly qualified staff nurses during their transition period from student to staff nurse. A random sample of ten newly qualified nurses selected from a large General Hospital was included in this study and this was supported by a further two interviews with two Nurse Managers. Data was collected by means of tape recorded semi-structured interviews. These were transcribed and analyzed by using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from this data. The findings reveal that newly qualified staff nurses encounter many difficulties during their first year as qualified staff. They recalled that they had to change their values to tally with those of the hospital system. They all experienced difficulties in fitting in and to establish a good relationship with their peers. The issue of responsibility was a major source of conflict in these newly qualified nurses. As regards their clinical practice, the participants felt that although they were able to carry out basic nursing care, they found it difficult to deal with new and complex situations. But overall, these newly qualified staff nurses were proud of what they had achieved and they considered nursing to be a challenging career and were happy of choosing this profession. These findings indicate that newly qualified staff nurses, overall experience of their transition period from student to a qualified nurse are similar to experiences of newly qualified staff nurses as documented in the literature. It is suggested that further longer scale studies are undertaken and that the problem should be addressed through the provision of preceptorship and orientation programmes for newly qualified nurses.