The transition from student to a qualified nurse can be a stressful and overwhelming ex-perience for many newly qualified nurses. This opinion is widely upheld throughout the literature with Higgins et al (2010) maintaining that many of the problems experienced are due to lack of support during this initial transition and a period of preceptorship would be invaluable. The Department of Health preceptorship framework (2010, P11.) describes preceptorship as “A period of structured transition for the newly registered practitioner during which he or she will be supported by a preceptor, to develop their confidence as an autonomous professional”. The nursing and midwifery council (NMC) define the role of a preceptor as “providing support and guidance enabling ‘new registrants’ to make the transition from student to accountable practitioner”, suggesting that a period of preceptorship should be offered at registration. Locally, the Welsh Government (2009) supported this in their post registration career framework. Within a local University Health Board there is a Nurse Foundation Programme (NFP) which provides structured study days spread across the first year of qualifying. Jones et al (2014) undertook an evaluative study reviewing the programme concluding that nurses benefited from the …show more content…
programme, however recognised that there were further improvements to be made. Having spent time talking to newly qualified nurses over the past 12 months, there is evidence of stress and anxiety amongst this group and it is apparent that the ex-periences and levels of support vary from ward to ward with little evidence of a named preceptor. It is in view of this that the research question has arisen - would a structured preceptorship programme improve the experiences of the newly qualified nurse? An in depth literature review was undertaken using the CINAHL, PUBMED and ERIC da-tabases.
Key words such as new graduate nurse, newly qualified nurse, experiences, perceptions, attitudes, preceptor/preceptorship, programmes and mentorship were used within the search. Only research articles were reviewed with a date limitation from 2000 - 2015. Whilst there was a large amount of articles relating to the experiences of the newly qualified nurse, it was surprising to find such limited research surrounding preceptorship and people’s perceptions and experiences. Three articles were chosen and reviewed for the purpose of this assignment and to address the proposed research
question. In order to structure the review, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool was used, with limited experience of critiquing research articles this appraisal tool was found to be useful. There are authors such as Barbour (2001) who maintain that by using checklists the focus is taken away from the detail of the study however in opposition to this Greenhalgh (2014) feels that the use of appraisal tools provide direction and leads to the right questions being posed. Appraisal The three articles chosen examine the perceptions of preceptorship programs from the perspective of both the preceptee and preceptor, giving a balanced view of the experi-ences. A qualitative research method was used with two of the articles employing a mixed method approach incorporating quantitative methods. Parahoo (2006, P 63.) de-fines qualitative research as “as a means to understand perceptions and actions of partic-ipants” while Gerrish and Lacey (2010, P.129) define “quantitative research as designs and methods that yield numerical data”. With these definitions in mind the methods cho-sen were the most appropriate given that the aim of the studies were to explore partici-pants thoughts and experiences of preceptorship. There are authors who consider quali-tative research as a less effective research design, Saket (1986) cited in Garish and Lacey (2010) developed a hierarchy of evidence whereby qualitative research is found at the foot of the hierarchy with studies such as systematic reviews and meta analysis sitting more prominently at the top. Authors such as Garish and Lacey (2010) believe that this hierarchy structure should be treated with caution as the quality of the paper needs be taken into consideration regardless of the study design.
My nurse preceptor was Raji. I really enjoyed her communication skills. She made sure to be in constant communication with not only the different healthcare teams, but also the families. Keeping the patients and their families informed really helped get them involved in their care. She had a kind nature and positive attitudes. She made sure to communicate pertinent details regarding the patient's status to the patient's doctors and nurse practitioners. I was really impressed by her effort to provide complete comfort and ease to her patients. I have had previous nurses (at other hospitals) that did not necessarily pay attention to these small patient centered care elements. These were assumed to be done by the clinical partner. However,
I plan to pursue a career in nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. This career take many steps to complete. But it is different routes you can take and different programs you can enroll in for this profession. Family Nurse Practitioners can prescribe medication and diagnose patients and give treatment. They can work either in hospitals and or clinics as a primary healthcare provider. They can also order specific x-rays and test that need to be done for a patient. The nurse practitioners interact with less patients in a clinic than in a hospital. Np’s have privileges to prescribe medications in every state.
The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is the governing body of all registered nurses in Ontario and is regulated. The CNO provides expectations and guidelines to follow, which need to be met by each Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) individually. As a nursing student, I am taught about the CNO and the importance of referring back to the guidelines while caring for patients. While gaining experiencing in the nursing field through my clinical settings, I have realized as a nursing student there are areas I need further development in. In this paper, I will address two of my learning needs and my goal for each. I will also discuss the plan I created in order to successfully meet my learning needs prior to becoming an RPN, and
I presume the role transition from academic nursing student to Graduate Nurse will be challenging and rewarding. In their findings, the researchers Doody, Tuohy & Deasy (2012) stated that for a successful transition NGNs need to be competent in a range of domains: interpersonal skills, managing workloads, providing health information, communication, and prioritising care delivery. Although I believe I am competent in the above specified areas, I am still not confident that I would get sufficient support in the hospital environment in terms of knowledge sharing, moral support and being given constructive feedback. Constructive criticism increases confidence in the work role and reduces stress in an individual (Doody, Tuohy & Deasy, 2012). In my previous professional placements I have been able to demonstrate my competency to work in the healthcare environment. I have received positive feedback from placement educators, buddy nurses and patients. Despite being competent in a range of the above areas NGNs may still face transition shock.
When I am older I would love to be a Nurse Practitioner, I enjoy helping people when they are sick and taking care of them. Another reason I want to be a Nurse Practitioner is because my sister is also a Nurse Practitioner.
The article I chose discusses the continual change in the roles of nurses. The article also poses a concept that nursing now is not based on caring, but medicine. “By accepting continual changes to the role of the nurse, the core function of nursing has become obscured and, despite assuming medical tasks, the occupation continues to be seen in terms of a role that is subordinate to and dependent on medicine.” (Iley 2004) Nurses are taking a more professional role, and more tasks are being delegated to assertive personnel. Therefore, with all these changes occurring, the role of the enrolled nurse is unclear. “Previously, having two levels of qualified nurse in the United Kingdom had been seen as problematic for health service managers and nurses themselves, and the ending of enrolled nurse programs in 1992 helped to solve this problem.” (2004) The study in this article gathered the characteristics of enrolled nurses and differentiated the groups converting to registered nurses, groups in the process of conversion, and groups interested or not interested in conversion. This study reveals the situation of enrolled nurses in context of continuing towards the professionalization of nursing. “The data from this study support the possibility that the role of nurses as direct caregivers is seen as a positive dimension of the work they undertake.” (2004) The findings imply that nurses need to get back to being caregivers, instead of concentrating on obtaining professional status in medicine.
Newly graduated nurses lack clinical skills necessary to evolve professionally and carefully from academics to bedside practice (Kim, Lee, Eudey, Lounsbury & Wede, 2015). How scary is that not only for the patient but also for the new nurse himself or herself? While being faced with new challenges, an increasing amount of newly graduated RNs felt overcome and unqualified. Twibell and Pierre explain how new nurses express “disillusionment” about practice, scheduling, and being rewarded. Frustration and anger between employees play a huge part in NGNs resigning because of the lack of experience and knowledge of what to do in high stress situations (2012). Nursing residency programs have proven to directly improve patient care, develop critical
Licensed practical nurses (LPN 's) fill an important role in modern health care practices. Their primary job duty is to provide routine care, observe patients’ health, assist doctors and registered nurses, and communicate instructions to patients regarding medication, home-based care, and preventative lifestyle changes (Hill). A Licensed Practical Nurse has various of roles that they have to manage on a day to day basis, such as being an advocate for their patients, an educator, being a counselor, a consultant, researcher, collaborator, and even a manager depending on what kind of work exactly that you do and where. It is the nursing process and critical thinking that separate the LPN from the unlicensed assistive personnel. Judgments are based
As we begin our nursing career, it is vital to have an experienced preceptor to guide a new graduate nurse to becoming an accomplished and knowledgeable nurse. It just doesn’t take experience to make a good nurse preceptor but one that possesses qualities such as being patient, knowledgeable, give constructive feedback, and able to be a supportive role model. As stated by Korzon and Trimmer, “A supportive preceptorship relationship is a well-established primary support mechanism aimed at the successful integration of new nurse” (p.14). This statement doesn’t only apply to new nurses but nurses that are joining a new organization or a nursing specialty.
In this paper I will discuss how preceptors and educational leaders have contributed to my nursing career and many others. The mentors who have the most influence on nurses are those that stick with the nurses and help give them the motivation they need to move through obstacles. In the first few paragraphs, I will discuss my personal experience with a mentor and the characteristics they possessed that were beneficial to me. Mentors have become a great influence in my career and many others. In the last section of this paper, I will discuss some of my personal experiences in example and support why I value the characteristics by referring back to peer reviewed articles. Preceptors are essential and irreplaceable in the nursing profession and in this paper will describe how they are active in every nurse’s life and profession.
Siviter, B. (2008) The Newly Qualified Nurses Handbook. A Survival Guide. Edinburgh: Balliere Tindall Elsevier
At this point, this writer is slightly unsure of which pathway she may take, once she has completed her studies; the writer is currently contemplating education, health population, or a career as a practitioner. So, this writer had the privilege of interviewing two individuals, one practitioner, and one population health coach. Each gave this writer interesting, sometimes similar, perspectives of being an advanced practice nurse.
Developing confidence, and competence is a challenge faced by novice nurses (Morrell & Ridgway, 2014). Over the course of my nursing degree developing, and maintaining confidence in my clinical practice has always been a personal challenge. During my preceptorship placement, I have the opportunity to continue to cultivate my confidence, and prepare to begin my practice as an independent graduate nurse. In the reflection, I will discuss how I have gradually become a confident practitioner through my experiences in my clinical placement, and especially those in my preceptorship placement.
What is the central component of advanced practice nurses (APNs) direct clinical practice and patient/families?
A leader is described as a person who guides others and has authority and influence over others. They work to influence others into meeting certain goals. There is no right or wrong definition of a leader and there is no recipe that ensures effective leadership. Successful leaders have a good balance of vision, influence, and power. Leaders gain their authority from their ability to influence others to get the work done; because of this, anyone has the potential to be a leader. (Finkelman. 2012, p15)