Graduate Nurse Transition Programs Pivotal Point of Participants' Practice Readiness Questioned During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic requires an accessible, practice-ready nursing workforce to assist with the increase in health service delivery. Graduate nurse transition programs are the entry point for most graduates into professional practice, and this review focused on both empirical studies and gray literature to identify at what point practice readiness occurs and what can assist graduate nurses' transition to become practice ready. Method: A scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review framework. Results: Consensus purports supportive environments, ideally in formal structured graduate transition to practice programs, to enhance graduate nurses' clinical skills and confidence development. With nursing confidence and competence gained through professional practice experience, it is apparent that for a sustainable nursing workforce, greater access for graduating nurses to transition programs is imperative. Conclusion: Recommendations include restructuring transition programs with possible time reductions, limited rotations, comprehensive orientations inclusive of preceptorship, and dedicated educators to increase and enhance supportive graduate nurse transitions. [ J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(8):392–396.]

New Graduate Nurses Navigating Entry to Practice in the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Additional supports should include frequent debriefing, storytelling, and reflecting within the new graduate nurse-preceptor dyad (ONL, 2020). These guidelines are supported elsewhere in the emerging Covid-19 literature (Russel & Juliff, 2021 ). These proposed guidelines build upon what is already known about the complex phenomena of transition experienced by new graduate nurses ( Duchscher, 2008 ; 2009 ; Dyess & Sherman, 2009 ).…”

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

“…Even before the pandemic, many new nurses reported struggling to successfully transition from a student to a nurse ( Aldosari et al, 2021 ; Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ; Hallaran et al, 2022 ; Russell & Juliff, 2021 ; Smith et al, 2021 ; Ulupinar & Aydogan, 2021 ). New nurses felt unprepared for practice, lacked confidence in their skills and care coordination abilities, experienced heavier workloads than expected, and had insufficient communication and professional skills ( Hallaran et al, 2022 ; Ulupinar & Aydogan, 2021 ).…”

“…To help close the education-practice gaps, many hospitals utilize TTP programs or NRPs for nurses’ first year of employment ( Aldosari et al, 2021 ; Bultas & L’Ecuyer, 2022 ; NCSBN, n.d.; Russell & Juliff, 2021 ). Research prior to the COVID-19 pandemic showed that TTP programs help transition new nurses into practice by providing support to increase new nurses’ knowledge, skills, and abilities ( Russell & Juliff, 2021 ).…”

Contribution of students in the evaluation of master’s and doctoral programs in the field of nursing

“…( 3 ) This new pandemic scenario has placed expectations on these programs, especially regarding their students’ scientific and technical contributions concerning this calamitous public health problem. ( 4 ) Therefore, embracing and discussing the demands of this public is necessary and important, even to generate new reflections, for example, on the entry of postgraduate students in Latin American countries.…”

“…( 5 ) In a more global analysis, this results from several factors and conditions permeating inequalities of social class, gender and race, even in a context of educational expansion. ( 4 ) Allied to the aforementioned factors and conditions, is the fact of not publicizing the relevance of postgraduate programs for the professional and academic career of professionals since undergraduate studies. These aspects can negatively interfere in students’ critical and analytical capacity, which is a quality of a good researcher attending a program that needs his/her contribution to be improved.…”