Faculty perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on new graduate nurses' transition to practice: A qualitative study

Associations Between the COVID-19 Pandemic and New Nurses’ Transition to Practice Outcomes: A Multi-site, Longitudinal Study

“…This period, known as TTP, has been extensively studied in research conducted prior to the pandemic ( Aldosari et al, 2021 ; Chappell & Richards, 2015 ; Dwyer & Hunter Revell, 2016 ; Goode et al, 2018 ; Mellor et al, 2017 ; Tyndall et al, 2018 ; Warren et al, 2018 ). Additionally, research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TTP is now emerging ( Alsalamah et al, 2022 ; Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ; Crismon et al, 2021 ; Healy et al, 2022 ; Powers et al, 2022 ; Smith et al, 2021 ; Ulmen et al, 2022 ).…”

“…A handful of studies have examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TTP. The pandemic caused many nursing students to lose hospital-based clinical experiences and hands-on knowledge application opportunities ( Crismon et al, 2021 ; Powers et al, 2022 ; Ulmen et al, 2022 ). One organization found that 67.5% of new nurses had fewer clinical practice experiences that their pre-pandemic counterparts, resulting in the nurses feeling overwhelmed, concerned for lack of efficiency, afraid of making mistakes after their orientation, and deficient in hands-on skills resulting from a lack of significant practice repetition ( Smith et al, 2021 ).…”

“…A longitudinal study on new nurses’ TTP experience during the pandemic revealed that 96% of new nurses rated their experience as negative and reported an inability to form effective peer relationships, lowered confidence in their preparation and abilities, and increased concern for personal health and safety ( Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ). In a survey of nurse faculty about their perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on new nurses’ TTP, faculty were most concerned about the loss of hands-on learning in clinical settings and emphasized the need to counteract the loss of clinical experiences in school through enhanced TTP programs and mentorship on the job ( Powers et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many facets of the healthcare system, nursing education, and the nursing workforce ( Alexander et al, 2021 ; Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ; Crismon et al, 2021 ; Smith et al, 2021 ), including close to 400,000 new nurses who passed the nursing licensing examination and became eligible to transition to practice (TTP) from nursing schools in the midst of the pandemic ( National Council of State Boards of Nursing [NCSBN], 2023 ). During the pandemic, new nurses who were transitioning reported experiencing changes in their clinical and academic preparation resulting from reduced clinical site experiences and the quick switch from in-person to online learning ( Alsalamah et al, 2022 ; Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ; Powers et al, 2022 ; Ulmen et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, the pandemic caused interruptions to many hospitals’ TTP programs, which negatively impacted new nurses ( Crismon et al, 2021 ; Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ; Smith et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Furthermore, the pandemic caused interruptions to many hospitals’ TTP programs, which negatively impacted new nurses ( Crismon et al, 2021 ; Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ; Smith et al, 2021 ). Although the existing research provides valuable insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TTP for new nurses, it is limited to single sites and small samples ( Alsalamah et al, 2022 ; Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ; Crismon et al, 2021 ; Healy et al, 2022 ; Powers et al, 2022 ; Smith et al, 2021 ). The purpose of the present study was to expand the knowledge base on the topic by examining the differences across several standardized TTP measures in multiple cohorts of new nurses across 13 hospitals in Southeast Texas who participated in the Vizient/AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing) Nurse Residency Program (NRP) before and during the pandemic.…”