Managing Key Challenges to Successful Transition to Graduate Nursing Practice - Literature review Example

Running Title: Managing key challenges to successful transition to graduate nursing practice Name University Course Lecturer Date Abstract While joining a medical school every student is excited to start a journey that finally culminates with papers which allow them to practice as nurses. They go through the journey with anticipation of getting the job and finally applying the knowledge they have learned in a real environment. The process as many find out is not as easy, it is a challenging period where one has to learn how to cope and manage. This paper outlines how I will manage and address the key challenges that are I am likely to experience in my transition to new graduate Registered Nurse. I will address the challenges relating to the application for a position, attending and succeeding in a job interview for a Registered Nursing position. I will also address how I intend to successfully complete my first six months of new graduate practice. While joining the medical school every student is excited to start a journey, one that will culminate with acquiring the needed credentials as far as being a qualified and licensed health care provider is concerned. The journey is not so smooth as one would have wished, there are up and downs, ranging from balancing the studies with other demands in life to working on assignment which have tight deadlines as well as attachments which introduce the student to a real working environment. There are also challenges pertaining to financing the education, especially if one was not lucky enough to get a scholarship or a sponsor. Although the journey is not as smooth as one would have envisaged, everybody looks forward to clearing the studies and joining the list of professionals who are practicing. It can be stressing to learn that the period after graduation as well as joining the work force will also be as challenging as the time one spends in school. This paper outlines how I will manage and address the key challenges that are I am likely to experience in my transition to new graduate Registered Nurse. I will address the challenges relating to the application for a position, attending and succeeding in a job interview for a Registered Nursing position. I will also address how I intend to successfully complete my first six months of new graduate practice. Genevieve Elizabeth Chandler in her article “Succeeding in the first year of practice” notes that transiting from student to a nurse is confusing, shocking or traumatic. This can be scaring to somebody who is about to graduate and join the real working environment where expectations from self as well as different parties are higher. It can be discouraging to a person who is so eager to join the profession and offer the services to the patients. Chadler (2012) notes that challenges which new graduates face have led to the termination of their position and in some cases leaving the profession altogether. Having gone through the full cycle of learning ,passed the examination only to leave the professional when only a few stages to reaching the coveted expert title can be a great loss to the would be nurse ,the family and even country at large. (Ricker 2008) The person in question would end up losing all the hours they have spent preparing for the profession and even the sacrifices they would have made to get this far. The family would also have lost, since there was great expectation that one of them will be in the profession, bringing glory to the family as well as in the community. No one would hate having a close member of the family being in the healthcare sector given that we all face some health challenges at one time or another and would not face the courage to seek medical help but cannot hesitate to get some help from a member of the family.(Blanton 2007) Transitioning from a student to a nurse presents several challenges, a person who is pursuing this path should be aware of right at the college level. When the prospective nurse is aware of these challenges, it will be easier to cope and starting the nursing career at a high note. Getting a job is one of the challenges that new graduate face, this mostly happens when the economy is not performing well. Most of those who are coming out of school, aspire to work in hospitals making this area so competitive and challenging when it comes to securing employment. Given the competition that is characterises this profession, some of those who graduate from college can take even a year before securing a job. This means that one has to be up to the game and capitalize on special skills as well as strengths to sail in the crowded field. Upon getting an interview one also has to beat the other equally qualified candidates to secure a slot in the hiring institution. This call for sharpening the skills in resume writing in order to get a chance to be interviewed and knowing how to sail through the interviewing process and emerging the best candidate. Once this bridge has been crossed, there is the orientation process which can be as challenging as the previous stages. This is the period that one gets introduced into the real working environment. This is the stage where one gets to apply the theories which have been learned in class into real situations. If not handled well this process can be very frustrating, as noted earlier it has seen several new graduate nurses leave the profession altogether. Kara Solem (2009) in advising new graduate Registered Nurses states that one should aim at finding a footing in an environment that nurtures professionalism. This means that one should look for a job in an environment where the culture of hard work, honesty and dedication to offer the best services is well grounded. Such an environment concludes Solem will have an orientation program which well prepares the new entrant to offer the best services. This is an environment that a new registered nurse will excel and build up a successful and satisfying career. Solem advises the new graduate nurses to look for a place where their strengths are valued and weaknesses accepted but guided to help in becoming a better service provider. With such an environment one will foster professionalism and help in decreasing the number of nurses who drop out in the process. For the country, Solem observes that it will reduce the nurse shortage, increase the retention rates and at the same time lead to generation of a new workforce. A resume is the first thing that one needs to prepare before embarking on a job hunting mission. I need to learn about resume writing; therefore I will look for the literature as well as get the services of resume writers to help my in drafting one which will sell. I need to include all the necessary and relevant details in my resume, this will be my selling tool therefore I have to take time and effort to come up with something that will work pretty well. I cannot take any chances when it comes to this document and that is why I am willing to spend some money to come up with something that sells right. (America Association of Critical Care Nurses 2007) Applying and searching for a position Applying for a job involves declaring an interest in working for a given position, either for a position which has been left vacant or a new post altogether. While some institutions invite applicants to fill up available positions other do not, instead they use available means such as word of mouth to spread the message. Applying for a job requires the candidate to have in place the necessary documents, in my case I will have to prepare the curriculum vitae, attach the certificates and licenses to show that one is an accredited health care provider. The cover letter and the resume are the selling tool, therefore they have to be presented in a way that will catch the required attention. One of the challenges that face new graduate nurses is securing a job, it can be comforting knowing that this problem does not affect nurses only, it cuts across many professions. This should not serve as a reason for somebody to relax and wait for fate to take its course, there is a need to be proactive and look for those elusive jobs. (Sherman and Dyess 2011) The saying seek and you shall find cannot be more convincing than to a job seeker who have searched for a job for sometime and finally landing what he or she would have wanted. It is everybody’s dream to land for hospital job once clearing nursing school but given the competition it has become hard to get it. (AACN 2005). There has been a call by experts for nurses who find it difficulty in securing hospital jobs to up their efforts and look for opportunities in non hospital setting. With the current trend where non hospital care setting are emerging, it is predicted that hospitals in future will only be large Intensive Care Units, where only those who are very sick and require specialized treatment will be seeking care here. This means that non traditional or alternate settings might be the future of the nursing profession. Therefore I will explore this to have the feel of how the future will be and at the same time get to sharpen my experience. I will keep my options open, although my first option will be to look for a hospital job I will also keep my eyes and ears open for the opportunity that will arise at alternative health care setting. This will not only give me a feeling of how they operate but also get diverse experience given that this is the direction that health care provision is moving. (Casey et al 2004) (Sewell 2008) (Newman 2008) I intend to use various methods to search for the job; I will drop online applications to various hospitals across town and beyond as well as alternate centers that offer health care. Although this method has been taunted as archaic, I believe that it still yields some fruit, and since I will not use it in isolation, when it fails to give the intended results, I will have other methods in place to rely on. Networking has been mentioned as one of the most effective way to secure a job, it involves talking to friends, relatives, acquaintances, colleagues and anybody else whom you think is in a position to help and informing them of the current position. It involves using every opportunity that is presented to ask the above people to inform in case of an opportunity that arises. This method is effective since job openings occur in institutions which are manned by people and chances of having somebody working around this area or who have some connection are high. I intend to use the connections which I have made in the nursing school as well as in other areas to help secure a job. I will not tire until I get what I am looking for. To help in networking I will prepare some business cards which I will be distributing to relevant contacts that I meet along. I will join nursing associations and religiously attend their meetings. Here I am certain that I will meet with department managers and introduce myself to them and make clear my intention to work in their institutions. Nursing conferences, seminars and career fairs will also provide an opportunity for me to sell myself to prospective employers. (Hardin-Pierce 2005) (Rydon,et al 2008) (Newton and McKenna 2007 Volunteering is also in my plan as a fallback option; I will offer my services for free to hospitals and other health care settings. This will not only give me a chance to practice what I learnt in school but also get an edge when a vacancy appear in an institution which I am offering my free services. This will also be a chance for me to give back to the society for having an opportunity to get this far. I will have a chance to make a difference in people’s lives especially those who are less privileged in the society. ( Halfer and Graf 2006) Experts advice that it is always good to keep the options open when looking for a job, I have a backup plan if everything else fails. I have always wanted to join the army and serve in a special capacity. Now that I have skills which are much needed in this area, as a last option I would join the forces and serve my country as nurse cadet. Attending and succeeding in the interview I believe with my dedication persistence and the good grades that I have obtained as well as the references that are in my resume, it will not be long before I secure myself an interview, pass and get down to practicing what I learned in school. Passing an interview requires some effort, this process being a session where I am supposed to impress the employer, one is supposed to be at best both physically and intellectually. I have to invest in a few official clothes, preferably a suit; I also have to sharpen my communication skills in order to deliver once I hit the road. I will try my best to present my case knowing that this is the only moment I have to secure the much needed job. Nurses who have made it in the past have often said that employers nowadays are not looking for geniuses in class, they are more into personality. (Levett-Jones and Fitzgerald 2006) They are searching for a nurse who can be described as positive person, a professional and more importantly a team player, somebody who can easily integrate into a team, a nurse who is honest about their weaknesses and strength. I intend to learn some of the skills that will help me along this line but I am lucky that I possess some already. I intend to maximize on my strengths but also work on my weaknesses to emerge the best candidate for the job. My patience, go getter attitude, desire to learn and motivation to help others will come in hand as far as working as nurse is concerned. While these abilities might not be visible, I will put situation where they have been demonstrated in my resume as well as make sure those who can tell my story are included as my referee in this document. (Guhde 2005)( Del Bueno 2005) Successfully completing the first 6 months of New Graduate Practice Once I secure the job, I am well aware that the difficulty yet fulfilling part of my career will have started; this is the time which I have to put in practice what I have learnt in my entire course. I am well aware that what I have learnt in class may be very different from what I will experience on the ground. I will approach every situation with an open mind, always asking for guidance when I face any challenging solution. As a learning nurse or basically what is referred as a novice, I believe that I have a lot to learn from my senior. I will utilize every opportunity to gain more knowledge from them. I expect the process to be exciting yet challenging; one of the models that I will use to provide my services is the patient centred care. Here I will emphasize on specialty care, prioritizing and organizing care. Use if specialty care has been recognized as an approach which many health care providers who are in transition from the student to nurse use and lead to few practice errors. (Mellisa 2011) Communication and teamwork are aspects that have been identified as key in the successful completion of New Graduate Practice. Studies have found out that in environment where they a re encouraged there are few errors among the new graduates. Situations where communication is enhanced leads to higher level of nurse’s satisfaction as well as greater responsiveness. I will use the communication skills learnt in the course of training to communicate to both the patients and fellow health care providers. (Mellisa 2011) Kersey (2013) observes that new graduate nurses face challenges due to inexperience; they have a problem figuring out how to deal with situation in which school did not prepare them. I am well aware that in one occasion or another I will be meeting situation which class did not prepare, this only calls for advancing knowledge through consulting the superiors as well as taking the initiative to read more on these cases. This is the only way that I will gain the required knowledge and be in a position to deal with challenging cases. (Mellisa 2011) Given that I will be working in a new environment, there are chances that work related stress may be prevalent. Fatigue, burnouts and other work related issues will be the order of the day. I will have to know how to compete with these situations in order to avoid being stressed or even depressed. I plan in working hard but also accepting only those tasks which I can handle. (Dyess and Sherman 2009) It is common for the new graduates to be misused by seniors and ending up overworked. I will always work on a team and help out the members well knowing that everyone has a role to play. Being assertive will also help in avoiding situation where people taken advantage of my positive attitude to work and leave all the tasks on my shoulder. To avoid burnout, I will make sure that I attend debriefing sessions where I share difficulty cases with my colleagues. Counselling sessions will also come in hand to help me cope with situations which are stressing and exhausting.( Dracup, 2007). (Collins and Zournazis 2005 Transitioning from a student to a practicing nurse can be challenging, it needs one to have the necessary preparation right in hand to avoid by overcome. Looking for a job presents main challenge given the nature of the competition; this requires one to use the right strategies to beat the many equally qualified candidates. When the job finally comes, the issue of aligning oneself to the new position presents an equally challenging situation. This call for open mind approach where one is ready to learn as well as offer the best in the areas allocated. This is the only way that one can cope with the challenges that are presented with process of moving from the classroom to the real working environment. Applying the interpersonal skills that have been learned in the course training as well as adapting to an environment where teamwork is nurtured helps in sailing through successfully throughout the six months graduate practice. References America Association of critical care nurses (2007) Critical Care Careers Ricker, F (2008) A supportive nursing model: Innovative nurse residency program eases new graduate transition. Colorado Nurse Blanton, J (2007) Care and Chaos on the Night Nursing Shift: Wall Street Journal. New York: April 24, 2007. Casey, K., Fink, R., Krugman, M. and Propst, J. (2004). The graduate nurse experience. Journal of Nursing Administration Kersey (2013) New Nurses Speak About their First Jobs, accessed from http://www.nursetogether.com/new-nurses-speak-up-first-jobs Chandler Elizabeth (2012) Succeeding in the First Year of Practice, Journal for Nurses in Staff Development & Volume 28, Number 3, 103Y107 & Halfer and Graf, E. (2006). Graduate nurse perceptions of the work experience. Nursing Economic Sewell, E. A. (2008). Journaling as a mechanism to facilitate graduate nurses' role transition. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, Dracup, K. (2007). Nurse Residency Programs: Preparing for the Next Shift. American Journal of Critical Care Guhde, J. (2005). When orientation ends, supporting the new nurse who is struggling to succeed. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development Del Bueno, D. J. (2005). A crisis in critical thinking. Nursing Education Perspectives, Kara,Solem (2009) Examining the Transition for New Graduate Professionals, Journal of Nursing accessed from http://rnjournal.com/journal-of-nursing/examining-the- transition-for- new-graduate-professional-rn Hardin-Pierce, M. (2005) Leadership Strategies to Enhance the Transition from Nursing Student Role to Professional Nurse. AACN (2005). AACN/UHC nurse residency program accessed from from www. aacn.nche.edu/Education/nurseresidency.htm Newman(2008) Transforming Presence, Philadephia,FA Davis and Co. Harwood Mellisa (2011)Transition Shock, Hitting the ground Running,Nuritinga Elctronic Journal of Nursing, Issue 10 Collins, R.and Zournazis, H. (2005) From undergraduate student to graduate registered nurse: tips for surviving the transition. National rural health alliance Dyess, S.M.and Sherman, R.O (2009) The first year of practice: new graduate nurses’ transition and learning needs. The journal of continuing education in nursing: Levett-Jones, T. and Fitzgerald, M. (2006) A review of graduate nurse transition programs in Australia. Australian journal of advanced nursing Newton, J.M. and McKenna, L. (2007) The transitional journey through the graduate year: a focus group study. International Journal of Nursing Studies Rydon, S.E., Rolleston, A. and Mackie, J. (2008) Graduates and initial employment. Nurse education today Rose O. Sherman, and Susan Dyess (2011) New graduate transition into practice during turbulent economic times ,Journal of Nursing Education,Volume 49 · Issue 7: 367- 368 accessed from http://www.healio.com/nursing/journals/jne/%7B213d1c38-9961- 4acd-bdab-9d56b784716d%7D/new-graduate-transition-into-practice-during- turbulent-economic-times Read More