Work readiness of newly graduated nurses transitioning to practice in Saudi Arabia: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aims To explore work readiness among newly graduated nurses transitioning to practice in Saudi Arabia. Background Many challenges encounter newly graduated nurses when transitioning to practice. Higher work readiness has been associated with smooth transitioning to practice. However, little is known about work readiness among newly graduated nurses in Saudi Arabia. Methods Cross‐sectional convenience sample of 174 participants. Results The mean score in work readiness was 338.8 (SD = 69.6). Weekly working hours correlated with organizational acumen (r = 0.208, p ≤ 0.01), social intelligence (r = 0. 217, p ≤ 0.01), work competence (r = 0.173, p ≤ 0.05) and the number of weeks since the start of internship training (r = 0.180, p ≤ 0.05). There were significant mean differences in a) personal work characteristics based on the country (t = 5.582, p < 0.001) and university from which they graduated (f = 15.618, p < 0.001); b) organizational acumen based on having a second job (t = −2.18, p = 0.03), university from which they graduated (f = 1.837, p = 0.002) and whether the hospital was the first‐choice preference (t = − 2.837, p = 0.005) and nursing was the first choice of study (t = −2.879, p = 0.005); and c) work competence based on the university from which they graduated (f = 5.267, p = 0.006). Conclusions The findings showed the work readiness of newly graduated nurses in Saudi Arabia's context. Implications for Nursing Management Findings have important implications for nurse managers to better design and implement a transition to practice programs for newly graduated nurses to improve their preparedness in their nursing careers.

Perceived professional preparedness and identity among senior nursing students: a latent profile Analysis

“…According to our results, although clinical practicum duration cannot be considered to have had a direct impact on perceived professional preparedness, a duration of less than 8 hours per day was still a predictor of poor preparedness. This aligns with the research by Monir Almotairy [ 22 ].…”

“…Results from such analysis may help nursing educators tailor interventions to support nursing students in the future. Additionally, we explore the influence of senior nursing students’ demographics on their profiles, Prior research has shown that factors such as part-time experience, relationship with classmates, feeling a sense of belonging at a hospital, average clinical practicum hours per day, voluntary choice of nursing major and feeling nobility toward nursing due to COVID-19 could affect professional preparedness [ 15 – 18 , 20 – 22 ]. In China, nursing students are required to complete an eight-month clinical practicum in general hospitals.…”

The impact of comprehensive licensure review on nursing students’ clinical competence, self-efficacy, and work readiness

“…Nevertheless, students scored relatively high on overall work readiness and its subscales pre- and post-intervention. Prior research has consistently reported lower levels of work readiness among newly graduated nurses in various countries, including Saudi Arabia [ 17 ], China [ 35 ], and Australia [ 23 ]. However, the level of work readiness was higher among the same group in the United States [ 19 ].…”

“…Furthermore, the improved scores on the work competence and social intelligence subscales can be attributed to the intervention, which included comprehensive case studies representing real-life situations faced by practicing nurses, possibly increasing senior nursing students' sense of confidence related to perceived work competence and social skills. A previous study among newly graduated Saudi nursing interns reported that those who began training had higher perceptions of work competence and social intelligence than those who did not [ 17 ]. This suggests that the intervention engaged students in activities that were comparable to the real work environment.…”

“…It has been shown that self-efficacy is a good predictor of nursing student performance in clinical practice, and that new graduate nursing students need a high level of self-efficacy to feel capable of meeting entry-level clinical standards and embracing challenging responsibilities [ 4 ]. Consequently, to enhance and foster newly graduated nurses' work readiness, nursing educators have been encouraged to develop and incorporate effective teaching pedagogies into nursing curricula that develop clinical competency and self-efficacy [ [17] , [18] , [19] ].…”