The lived experience of nurses transitioning to professional practice during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

As a result of the COVID‐19 pandemic, newly graduating nurses have entered into rapidly changing clinical environments, experiencing healthcare in a manner for which they were not fully prepared. The purpose of this study is to describe the lived experience of these newly graduated registered nurses (RNs) who transitioned to practice during the COVID‐19 pandemic, and to gain understanding of how to better prepare future graduates for similar situations. A multisite qualitative phenomenological design was used in this study of 12 frontline nurses that graduated in the spring of 2020 and transitioned into their new role as RNs. A trained research team conducted semistructured interviews and completed a thematic analysis of the data. The results were six themes that emerged from the study participants' interviews: (1) fear, (2) emotional conflict, (3) self‐doubt, (4) alone, (5) communication barriers, and (6) finding the positive.

Exploring New Graduate Nurses’ Perceptions of Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction and Resignation Ideation During COVID-19

“…It is of interest that NGNs at this stage also reported the highest frequency of thoughts of leaving their current job. This is similar to Aukerman et al’s (2022) qualitative study in which NGNs with 10–12 months of experience gained during the first year of the pandemic had no intention in staying in their current position and to the study of Africa and Trepanier (2021), who noted a steady increase in resignation ideation over 2 years in a sample of prepandemic NGNs.…”

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

“…There is also a growing body of literature illuminating the complexity of new graduate nurse transition during the Covid-19 pandemic. Collectively the findings highlight experiences of fear, uncertainty and self-doubt ( Aukerman et al, 2022 ; García–Martín et al, 2021 ; Kovanci & Atlı Özbaş, 2022 ) alongside negative impacts on psychological health ( Katsuta et al, 2021 ; Nayor et al, 2021 ), while other findings reveal themes of resilience and commitment to the profession of nursing ( Casey et al, 2021 ; Nayor et al, 2021 ; Sessions et al, 2021 ). Some of these emerging experiences have also been reflected in past endemics, however the longevity and magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic may serve to mediate experiences in ways that may not parallel these past experiences.…”

Managing the Current Workforce

“…33 As a part of PsyCap, hope scores remained stable from 2018 to 2021, while NGN efficacy increased. There is supportive and conflicting evidence regarding NGN confidence during the pandemic 16,28,34 and is worthy of additional research and consideration. Both resilience and optimism decreased over the time period.…”