Developing a Comprehensive Critical Care Orientation Program for Graduate Nurses

Abstract

In 2014, newly graduated nurses are welcomed and recruited to practice in critical care, and hiring trends in hospitals support a demand for newly graduated nurses. At a 501-bed, quaternary care, academic medical center located in the Rocky Mountain region, an orientation program was formalized to prepare newly graduated nurses for critical care practice. The critical care clinical orientation program presented utilizes a dynamic approach that includes didactic study, case study integration, a clinical staging program, active preceptor development, and care-based simulation exercises. The purpose of this article is to describe the clinical orientation program developed in critical care, which augments an accredited New Graduate Nurse Residency Program.

Structures, processes and outcomes of specialist critical care nurse education: An integrative review

“…Twenty-one publications met the inclusion criteria and comprised 13 primary research studies: five were quantitative, 18,54,56,57,59 two qualitative 49,55 and six used a mixed-methods design. 19,21,22,50,52,53 Five of these were validation studies for practice standards or competency tools. 18,19,21,22,53 Three used surveys.…”

“…32 Five publications arose from grey literature which included three national or multi-national standards, 5,23 one competency framework 60 and one position statement. 61 Seven publications came from Australia, 18,19,21,52,55,56,58 four from continental Europe, 22,54,57,60 three from the UK, 4, 23, 32 three from the US 5,49,50 and one from Iran. 53 Three explored programs worldwide.…”

“…53 Three explored programs worldwide. 51,59,61 Quality appraisal using the MMAT, the Narrative Review Checklist and the JBI Checklist for text and opinion papers revealed scores of 100% of quality items for 11 papers, 4,18,19,21,32,50,53,55,56,59,61 75-99% for six papers 5, 22, 49, 52, 54, 58 and 50-74% for four publications. 23,51,57,60 Thematic description to examine more complex professional practice issues.…”

“…67 They afford benefits for nurse retention and orientation to the ICU environment, and there is some limited evidence to link these programs to patient outcomes. 50 A standard TTP curriculum framework, and sharing of resources through, for example, online content within central repositories (e.g. state health department websites) may optimise resource utilisation and overcome equity of access issues, particularly for nurses from rural settings.…”

“…One descriptive account from the US reported processes for online, learnercentred didactic modules replacing TTP face-to-face study days. 50 Processes in postgraduate CCN courses should develop capacity for life-long learning where CCN students learn the skills to search, access and critique publications and ideas through reading lists, online discussion boards and critical review of evidence. Students be exposed to multiple evidence sources including scientific, experiential, patient and family accounts, care bundles, guidelines, local practice standards and audits.…”