ObjectivesTo determine the stress experience and coping styles of new nurses during Nurse Residency Programs (NRPs) by identifying, appraising, and synthesizing data from the qualitative studies.DesignA systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.Review methodsEleven databases were systematically searched for relevant publications in March 2022. All qualitative and mixed-method studies in English and Chinese that explored the stress and coping experience during NRPs of new graduate nurses were included. The qualitative meta-synthesis was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. Two independent reviewers selected the studies and assessed the quality of each study. Meta-synthesis was performed to integrate the results.ResultsA total of 13 studies revealed 13 sub-themes and three descriptive themes: multi-dimensional stressors, somatic and emotional responses, coping resources and coping methods.ConclusionNew nurses faced a lot of physical and emotional stress during NRPs, which had a negative impact on their physical and mental health. NRPs are a critical period for the career growth of new nurses. Effective management strategies must be implemented to improve nurse capacity, meet their needs, improve self-efficacy, and build organizational support, as this can improve the quality of clinical nursing and keep the enthusiasm and stability of the nursing team.

BackgroundClinical practicum provides nursing students with more opportunities to learn their professional knowledge and develop basic nursing skills. Intensive care unit (ICU) is often used as one of the clinical practicum departments for nursing students. Due to the characteristic fast-paced working environments, high acuity of patient care, and technical complexities of an ICU, nursing students are more susceptible to experiencing stress and lack of confidence in these settings, which hinders their professionalization and affects patient care.ObjectiveThe study aimed to summarize and evaluate the nursing students' experience in an ICU during their practicum and to provide a supportive ICU clinical practicum environment for them. One of the main objectives was to increase the ICU specialty nurse reserve and improve nursing care in the ICU.MethodsThe following databases were searched for related qualitative publications in Chinese and English by systematic searches across January 2022, including the nursing students' experience in ICU during their practicum: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and so on. The qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. Two reviewers independently selected these studies and carefully evaluated the quality of each study. Meta-synthesis was then used to summarize the results.ResultsEleven sub-themes and 3 themes were revealed in 9 studies: challenges of clinical practicum in the ICU, the expectation of support from multiple sources, and the importance and necessity of practicum in the ICU.ConclusionPerforming one's practicum in ICU was considered by the nursing students in this review as a beneficial practicum despite the challenges involved. The appropriate guidance and monitoring should be given by hospital managers and college educators.