Retention of New Graduate Nurses: The Literature Informs Staff Educators

Improving Nursing Student Resilience Using Online Simulation and Resilience-Based Content in a Pediatric Course

BACKGROUND

New graduate nurse job satisfaction persistently decreases at 6 months postgraduation. To prepare future nurses for career resilience, schools of nursing are implementing resilience into their curriculum.

METHOD

A large Midwestern school of nursing developed and instituted small group discussions, individual assignments, and online simulations to foster career resilience in a required specialty course. The course, offered in the last year of nursing school, included 93 nursing students and a comparison group of 93 nursing students.

RESULTS

The intervention showed an increase in Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) scores. Online simulations were useful for classroom learning, helped students discover new ways of thinking, and increased understanding of course content. Differences in simulation techniques were found, and students reported benefitting more from faculty-guided simulations than self-guided simulations.

CONCLUSION

Nurse educators implementing resilience simulation programs can increase new graduate nurse resilience using online simulation, which is an effective technique for teaching nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(6):348-351.].

Clinical sympathy - A mixed method study of the relationship between the clinical nurse educator and the graduate nurse

AIM/OBJECTIVE

This paper sought to investigate the influence of the supernumerary clinical nurse educator role on the newly qualified graduate nurses' professional development and successful transition to competent and confident practitioners in the acute care hospital environment.

BACKGROUND

The novice nurses learning in the inpatient clinical environment is affected by increasing patient acuity, complex conditions and organisational expectations. The supernumerary clinical nurse educator is uniquely positioned to prioritise these nurses' education through protected and available time to support adaption in the workplace culture and retention in the organisation.

DESIGN

A convergent mixed methods design was used to investigate the relationship between the supernumerary clinical nurse educator role through the opinions and experiences of the graduate nurse.

METHODS

Data were collected in February - July 2015 from graduate nurses from three hospital sites in a healthcare organisation in Western Australia. The research used online questionnaires (n = 39) and face to face interviews (n = 10). Analysis of quantitative data used descriptive statistics and qualitative data used thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Four main themes were identified. These were: acknowledges new and challenging experiences, available to provide constructive responses, sympathises with anxiety and missing in action.

CONCLUSION

The graduate registered nurses perceived that clinical sympathy provided by the clinical nurse educator was essential to their new role of frontline nurses influencing their delivery of quality patient care and as a practical solution to champion the graduate nurses' longevity in the future nursing workforce.

New Graduate Registered Nurses and the Spectrum of Comfort in Clinical Practice

The comfort zone is where a person consistently performs his or her role in an affective state devoid of anxiety and without a feeling of risk. This study challenges the notion of a singular comfort zone and suggests that a spectrum of comfort is a more accurate reflection of the new graduate experience. A grounded theory methodology was used to identify and explain the spectrum of comfort considerations helpful to nine new graduates amid their transition to professional practice. Emerging from the data were themes that encompassed both the positive and negative regions of the spectrum of comfort. Negative themes were: Feeling Abandoned, Sometimes I Get Frightened, and Feeling Betrayed-Catching Hold. The more positive themes were: Moderation of Emotions, and Letting Go. Each of these themes requires an appropriate response from new graduates and experienced staff. The spectrum of comfort model and practical considerations of support could accomplish this. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2019;50(12):563-571.].

Relationships among structural empowerment, psychological empowerment, intent to stay and burnout in nursing field in mainland China-based on a cross-sectional questionnaire research

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship among perceived structural empowerment, psychological empowerment, burnout and intent to stay by nurses in mainland China.With the shortage of nurses in many countries, including China, intent to stay is a dominant factor to influence the quality of care. Also, burnout is identified to negatively affect the quality of care. Empowered clinical nurse practical environment is related to intent to stay and burnout. In the current literature, there is a lack of data based on empowering environment discussing the relationship between burnout and intent to stay. The study used an anonymous questionnaire, filled voluntarily by 219 nurses from different sections in a city in mainland China, 2012.Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Based on the SEM model, structural empowerment and psychological empowerment had significant positive effects on intent to stay of nurses and negative effects on burnout. Burnout had a significant negative effect on intent to stay. The final modified models yielded χ(2)  = 58.580, P > 0.05, χ(2) /df = 1.046, root mean square error of approximation = 0.015, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.996, comparative fit index = 0.998,which indicated good fit indices. Creating a positive empowering workplace can encourage nurses to stay long and prevent burnout. Therefore, higher level of empowering environment is required.