Novice psychiatric nurses experience heavy workloads, insufficient training and support in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to understand the working experiences of novice psychiatric nurses during their first year in a clinical setting. A qualitative phenomenological approach, using semi-structured face-to-face interviews was used. Narratives were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method. Data saturation was reached after interviews were conducted with 15 nurses based on the purposive sampling. Four themes and eight sub-themes were identified: struggling (lacking a sense of security and competency), emulating (learning the process of interaction with clients and families, learning an appropriate role from nursing staff), prevailing (developing core competency, creating a therapeutic environment) and belonging (coping with the job, becoming a part of the psychiatric nursing staff). The findings from this study demonstrate that nurses are often inadequately prepared for psychiatric nursing. They have little understanding of mental illness, are unable to communicate appropriately with clients and struggle to cope with the conditions. Our study supports the importance for helping nurses to improve their essential knowledge and skills for coping with the job and providing good quality care, particularly in the first year.

Aim To explore the effectiveness of a clinical reasoning teaching workshop (CRTW) in preceptors' teaching ability, self‐efficacy of clinical reasoning teaching. Background Preceptors' teaching skills are crucial for training novice nurses. How to enhance preceptors' teaching ability is a pertinent concern in clinical practice. Methods This study comprised two stages. At stage I, we administered a pre‐ to post‐test single group with 33 participants to investigate the changes in preceptors' knowledge and self‐efficacy in clinical reasoning teaching after clinical reasoning teaching workshop. At stage II, a quasi‐experimental design was adopted to assess the effectiveness of the clinical reasoning teaching workshop by comparing the preceptors' teaching ability by novice nurses. There were 22 nurses' preceptors who underwent the clinical reasoning teaching workshop and 70 nurses with preceptors who did not undergo clinical reasoning teaching workshop and matched with preceptors' age and working experience. Results After clinical reasoning teaching workshop, preceptors' knowledge and self‐efficacy of clinical reasoning teaching ware increased significantly. Novice nurses (study group) scored their preceptors' teaching ability significantly higher than nurses' (control group). Conclusion The clinical reasoning teaching workshop can enhance preceptors' teaching ability and confidence, thereby improving their teaching ability. Implications for Nursing Management A well‐designed workshop with appropriated teaching method can allow preceptors to learn effectiveness. Clinical reasoning teaching workshop can be used in the training of preceptors.

Advanced practice psychiatric nurses should take the emotional stability of caregivers into consideration. Caregivers should be encouraged and taught effective culture-oriented strategies for living with sorrow.