Reflection of New Graduate Nurses on the Transition Program Conducted in the Selected Malaysian Private Hospitals

Abstract

Transitions are passages or movements from one state or condition to another, and they can profoundly influence and alter the lives of the individuals involved as well as their significant others such as friends, family, and co-workers. While transitional support programs helps to support the new graduate nurses in their first year of practice, there are unmet needs for clinical, social and emotional support. Understanding new graduate nurses' (NGNs) experiences and their unmet needs during their first year of practice will enable nurse managers, educators and nurses to better support new graduate nurses' attain the new graduates' perception on the Transition Program implemented in three (3) private hospitals. This study is intended to determine the new graduate nurses' (NGNs) reflection towards the transition program in medical, surgical and multidisciplinary wards in the selected private hospitals. The study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design using purposive sampling technique. Reflections on the transition program implemented were assessed using the instrument which was adopted and modified from previous study questionnaires, Hamad Medical Centre (HMC) questionnaires. The Descriptive statistics were employed to express demographic data and reflections of the NGNs towards the transition program. One hundred new graduate nurses with less than three-year experiences participated in this study. The transition program runs in two stages, two weeks for the orientation program followed by six-month preceptor ship. The researchers used a 5-point Likert scale for data collection. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20. The overall reflection expressed by NGNs on experiences during the transitioning, 70% agreed and 28% had strongly agreed the program conducted was well organized. If both results to be combined, 98% of respondents reflected excellence for the transition program conducted. In conclusion, the transition program which comprised of orientation and preceptor ship program is the most significant approach of helping the adaptation of the NGNs working in the clinical environment. Thus, these programs should be regularly conducted in every hospital which indirectly helps in decreasing the rate of turnover among the NGNs.