Clinical support for new graduate nurses in acute care settings : the CLASSIC Project

Abstract

Transitional support programs play a critical role in influencing job satisfaction and importantly, the retention of new graduate nurses. Early workplace experiences of new graduate nurses can be challenging, as they are required to adapt to a new practice environment and at the same time, acquire specialised skills specific to that clinical specialty. This transition may be particularly stressful in acute care settings characterised by increasing acuity of patient care and heavy workloads. While seemingly common sense, little is known about how personal and situational (environmental) factors interact in specific contexts to influence new graduate nurses' intention to stay or leave the profession. This study examined new graduate nurses' satisfaction with a 12-month transitional support program and their intention to remain working in their current ward or unit. The study used a sequential mixed methods design. New graduate nurses employed at an 877-bed tertiary level teaching hospital located in the south-western Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia were invited to complete a survey at baseline (8-10 weeks) and close to the end of their transitional support program (10-12 months). At follow-up, new graduate nurses were also invited to participate in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. As new graduates enter challenging practice environments, supporting a smooth transition is essential to promote job satisfaction and intention to remain in nursing. Findings from this study highlight both the effectiveness and limitations of formal transitional support programs for new graduate nurses. Specifically, this study showed the importance of a structured, unit-based orientation and clinical support, and at the same time highlighted the adverse effect of assigning new graduate nurses to critical care specialties in their first rotation. Importantly, the findings highlight the significance of mutable factors, also described as situational factors in this thesis, which need to be considered by management and policy makers who seek to promote job satisfaction and intention to stay in areas of need.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	English