A comprehensive literature review of guidelines facilitating transition of newly graduated nurses to professional nurses

doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2018.02.010

Nurse Education in Practice

Volume 30, May 2018, Pages 35-41

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2018.02.010 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Transition of graduate-to professional nurses is vital but does not always happen.
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This integrative review summarized guidelines facilitating transition of graduates.
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Graduates need support, socialization, belonging, and a positive clinical environment.
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Also, orientation and peer mentor programs and systems of performance are required.
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Guidelines should be adapted/developed to optimize implementation of the findings.

Abstract

Literature shows that successful transition of newly graduate nurses to professional nurses is imperative but does not always take place, resulting in difficulty in performance, cognizance or behaviour of a role as a nurse, affecting the quality of patient care negatively. No integrative literature review could be found to summarize available guidelines facilitating transition of final year nursing students to professional nurses. An extensive search of the literature by means of an integrative literature review was conducted in 2014 and updated in June 2017, following a five-step process. All relevant studies were subsequently appraised for rigour and quality using the AGREE II tool by two independent reviewers. Eight (n = 8) guidelines on transitions were independently extracted. After thematic analysis was done, three factors to facilitate transition of final year nursing students to professional nurses were found: 1) support for new graduates, 2) the graduate's need for socialization and belonging, and 3) a positive clinical learning environment. The availability and implementation of guidelines on transition of final year nursing students by educational institutions and healthcare facilities could ease the transition from being final year nursing students to becoming professional nurses as well as improve retention of newly qualified professional nurses.

Section snippets

Introduction and background

According to Duchscher (2012), transition usually begins with events that create instability and make change necessary. Graduating as a nurse to becoming a professional nurse is one such event, which can be referred to as situational transition. The author suggests that, in the event that successful transition does not take place, this may lead to difficulty in performance, cognizance or behaviour of a role.

The Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB) (2012) suggest that nursing graduates

Research design and methods

An integrative literature review was conducted following a five-step process adopted from Russel (2005): Step 1: Formulation of the review question; Step2: Literature-searching process; Step 3: Critical appraisal; Step 4: Data extraction process; and Step 5: Data analysis process.

Results

Data extracted from the eight guidelines resulted in three themes in support of the transition of final year nursing students to professional nurses, which are outlined as follows:

Discussion

The three themes that emerged from the eight guidelines are interrelated and equally important in facilitating the transition of students and graduates to professional nurses. For example, socialization and a sense of belonging can be encouraged to support students and new graduates, which then provides a conducive and positive learning environment.

Socialization and a sense of belonging have been found to make the nursing student and newly graduate feel valued and accepted, and these enhance

Conclusions

The findings of this study can be used to either develop new best practice guidelines or adopt existing best practice guidelines to standardize practices and education with regards to the transition of nursing students and new graduates to professional nurses, since limited best practice guidelines were found to have been developed, presented or implemented. Best practice guidelines can offer explicit recommendations for unit managers and nurse educators as well as support for quality

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank xxx, the librarian for her assistance with the development of the search strategy and conducting the search process.

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Doctorate StudiesA comprehensive literature review of guidelines facilitating transition of newly graduated nurses to professional nurses

Highlights

Abstract

Section snippets

Introduction and background

Research design and methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusions

Funding

Acknowledgements

Nurse Education Practitioner

Int. J. Nurs. Stud.

Guiding principles: for the newly licensed nurses' transition into practice

Canadian institutes of health research. The AGREE next steps consortium: AGREE II instrument

What is critical appraisal: evidence-based medicine

Sense of belonging and newly registered nurse job satisfaction

Effective preceptorship: a guide to best practice

Strategic plan for nurse education, training and practice 2012/13 – 2016/17. Department of health republic of South Africa

Transition to practice for nurses and midwives – guideline. Tasmanian Government

Final-year student nurses' perceptions of role transition

Br. J. Nurs.

From Surviving to Thriving: Navigating the First Year of Professional Nursing Practice

The first year of practice: new graduate nurses' transition and learning needs

J. Cont. Educ. Nurs.

Nurse managers' strategies for the integration of newly graduated nurses into clinical units in Japan: a qualitative exploratory study

Open Nurs. J.

Doctorate Studies
A comprehensive literature review of guidelines facilitating transition of newly graduated nurses to professional nurses