THE TRANSITION STUDENT TO GRADUATE NURSE

McKenna, L., & Newton, J. M. (2009). After the graduate year: a phenomenological exploration of how new nurses develop their knowledge and skill over the first 18 months following graduation. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxymu.wrlc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=57a243af-c0d3-4f81-addf-041456493db3%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4206

According to Suzanne Gordon “ whether young or old, nurses are disillusioned because they believe that health care systems guided by bottom-line concerns simply don’t recognize the specificity of their work” (234). Nursing is more demanding than many other professions or occupations, due to the combination of difficult patients, exhausting schedules and arduous physical work (Gordon 235). It can take a significant emotional toll on many, hence the higher levels of burnout. Job dissatisfaction as a result of increased workloads and unreasonable demands, such as inappropriate nurse staffing levels, was cited as the number one reason that drives many experienced nurses to leave the profession (Sanford 38+). Studies have shown that such working conditions also affected the retention of new graduate nurses by leaving their first hospital jobs within two years of graduating (Sanford 38+).

The objective of this study is to examine the role transition from Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Registered Nurse (RN).

Novice nurse attrition rates continue to haunt the profession of nursing, with rates as high as 30% leaving within the first year, and as high as 57% by the second year (Chandler, 2012; Laschinger, Grau, Finegan, & Wilk, 2012). These new graduate nurses who leave the profession commonly report reaching a state of burnout (Suzuki, Tagaya, Ota, Nagasawa, Matsuura, & Sato, 2010). Furthermore, with an aging nurse population, high attrition rates only compound the threat of an impending nursing shortage. While multiple studies identify and explore the independent stressors that may be contributing to the new graduate nurses’ intent to leave, little to no research exists that explains why, despite similar practice environments, some nurses engage

In order to provide lasting solutions to the nursing shortage, we should determine whether actively recruiting mature new nurses is appropriate. Bedside nursing is an intellectually and physically demanding profession. The burnout rates and first year attrition are disturbingly high. A three year study of over three thousand American NGNs found that 37 percent intend to leave their jobs after one year (Kovner et al., 2007). Another review found that while there are many market variables, the average American NGN costs hospitals over $82,000. Thirty percent of these leave in the first year and 57 percent in the second (Twibell et al., 2012). Given the high barriers to entry, the statistics are surprising. Before we continue to invest in recruiting mature nursing students, we should determine if they are likely to persevere in practice.

It is imperative that the new graduate nurse cohort be given a full immersion into the organizational culture, a quality orientation program, and to feel welcomed into their departments to foster embeddedness early in the program (Reitz, 2014). To facilitate this, the program will begin with a welcoming gathering for their inauguration. This gathering will be designed to introduce the new graduates to organizational leaders, former graduates, and new graduates within their cohort in order to begin the building of relationships. Specific department leaders, supervisors, and team leaders will be invited to attend to support and welcome the new graduates, and to foster buy-in by department leaders.

Nursing retention is a major issue within the healthcare organization and has been acknowledged internationally. With nurses comprising the largest healthcare professional group, hospital organizations depend on a viable nursing workforce to provide high quality care. According to World Health Organization statistics (2006), there is a shortage of 4.3 million healthcare workers including doctors, midwives, nurses and ancillary staff worldwide (Twigg & McCullough, 2014). This number is expected to increase by 20 percent in the next two decades with projected shortages of 285,000 nurses by 2020 and 500,000 nurses by 2025 (Spence Laschinger et al., 2009; Twigg & McCullough, 2014). As a result of the

In addition to understaffing, health care professionals are also placed within a setting where they are overworked. According to a research study by Imai et, al. (2004), “Excessive work demands, particularly for emergency overtime work, and low job control for community psychiatric nurses appear to represent work environment factors contributing to burnout”. When institutions are understaffed, it often means that nurses are then over worked. When this occurs, they no longer have the ability to upkeep their self-emotional and physical health. According to an article by USA Today (2015), “A steady stream of studies link fatigue to errors, increased risk-taking, declines in short-term memory and a reduced ability to learn – with researchers likening the performance of someone awake for at least 17 hours to that of a drunk person”. A common work shift currently for nurses in these settings are at least 12 hours at a time. Fatigue can also increase if workers have 12 hour shifts, for multiple days in a row. When an individual reaches this level of fatigue, it can be difficult for them to then care for another individual to the best of their abilities.

Considering the progression of transition for Enrolled Nurses (ENs) to Bachelors of Nursing (BN), identifying their strategies and barriers to adapt to the university learning background is essential to grant support appropriately to enrich their learning and success. The author has selected an interpretivist and qualitative approach study that carried by Hutchison, Mitchell and St John, (2011) to analyse transition experience of ENs to BN in Australian universities. The following study has done a focus-group interview as a method of enquiry and has chosen 10 participants who are ENs transitioning to the BN in a Queensland University (Hutchinson, Mitchell, & St John, 2011).

Graduate nurses are prepared for a variety of roles upon graduation, there no typical role or practice setting exists. However, as a new graduate nurses, the basic roles that they prepared to carry out is patient care or care provider. “Nurses can assess client’s resources, strengths and weakness, coping behaviors, and the environment to optimize the problem-solving and self-care abilities of the client and family” (Cherry & Jacob, 2017, p.451). Nurses with bachelor's degrees can practice in various sittings such as “Hospitals, clinics or offices, nursing care facilities, home health, public health, occupational health or industrial nurse, leadership positions, teaching positions at hospitals, colleges and universities” (Academics… – Nursing,

According to Cappel, Hoak & Karo (2013), “nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression” (p. 22). This recommendation is one of the eight recommendations presented in “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” report in 2011. The research has shown that the Nurse Residency Programs (NRP) is often mistaken for “the new hire” orientation or an internship in a nursing specialty area. This concept was first noted in the literature review in the 1908s as a model for transition into practice for the new graduate nurses (Cappel et. al., 2013).

Role transition is a real change of thinking process as a nursing student from LPN to BSN. After taking this course, I have a new lens that I can look through intrapersonal, interpersonal and contextual levels of health and healing process of my patients.

Presently we all are experiencing some elation for finishing our arduous journey with the completion of nursing school. We all have dreams and aspirations from which we plan to grow and succeed. Small short bursts of wisdom are on our minds as we contemplate our new jobs and lifestyle like a child staying up all night anticipating what is going to under the tree after the jolly old man in the red suit arrives and bestows with his good cheer. This is a life changing event for which have been entrusted and the complexity of its empowerment and responsibility. With all of the challenges before us, we will endeavor into a new world full of pain, suffering, joy and contentment. For some of us these are shiny new gifts to be unwrapped like those found under the tree. For others, they are embellishments and struggles attained through a sense of accomplishment. Never the less all of these circumstances will become part of our lives.

Nursing jobs provide emotionally and financially rewarding careers. The health care industry employs millions of nurses and the job outlook continues to improve each year. This paper explores two common types of degrees held by Registered Nurses (RN) and seeks to emphasize the primary differences between the two. An individual who has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) can become an RN after passing the NCLEX-RN examination. However, there are certain advantages to having a BSN degree rather than an ADN. Although both degrees fulfill the educational requirement to become an RN, a BSN degree offers greater opportunity for career advancement and higher potential earnings. The paper discusses this through Chris Jensen, nurse manager of the child/adolescent psychiatric units at Kingswood Hospital. The leadership and management skills, educational background needed to be successful, as well as, responsibilities of the position are also discussed.

Nursing is a career full of stressors. Every day nurses deal with some type of stress and they can become emotionally drained. Nurses are the support system for the patients and their families, they watch patients suffer, and sometimes they even care for patients who are terminally ill and dying. The modern world of health care and tightening budgets are resulting in additional work-related stressors such as barriers to providing optimal care, increasingly complex needs of patients, short acute care lengths of stays, the need for increased knowledge of ever-changing technology, nursing shortages, poor staffing, long work hours, limited resources, and feelings of lack of control (Smith, 2014, p. 119). The above stressors can put nurses at