Educating new graduate nurses in their first year of practice: The perspective and experiences of the new graduate nurses and the director of nursing

Abstract Background New graduate nurses are the future of nursing and the education they receive as they transition into the workforce as a newly registered nurse is critical for building a suitably qualified nursing workforce that will adequately serve the future population. Variation exists in education programmes for new graduate nurses in their first year of practice. The desired state is that all new graduate nurses have access to high-quality educational opportunities to develop the capabilities to perform to the best of their abilities and that they are adequately supported in their transition to practice. Aim The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of new graduate nurses in their first year of clinical practice, who were undertaking a new graduate programme which may or may not have been inclusive of a postgraduate course (Masters Level). It also explored the experiences and perceptions of Directors of Nursing supporting nurses to complete their new graduate programme in two regional health areas of New Zealand. Methods An exploratory qualitative study in which two focus groups, one from each region, were conducted with eight new graduates in each group. Focus group one had completed a Masters level course within NETP and focus group two had not. In addition semi structured interviews were conducted with the Directors of Nursing from the two regional health areas. Findings New graduate nurses and Directors of Nursing agreed that undertaking a structured new graduate programme in the first year of clinical practice provided the support needed to ease transition challenges. The level of support the new graduate received directly impacted on their transition experience and confidence to practice. The perceptions of the new graduates and the DONs indicated that the workload of the programme was linked to how the educational component was delivered. Inclusion of a postgraduate (Masters Level) course provided new graduates with a more evidence based approach to support their clinical decisions and confidence in their ability to question practice. Conclusion Inconsistency in the educational preparation of new graduate nurses in their first year of practice may impact on their transition experience. There needs to be ongoing development and evaluation of the educational component which should address the transition challenges; in addition there is the need to ensure that preceptor and clinical practice support requirements are met. This will ensure that new graduates receive the appropriate education and support to prepare them for the role as a newly qualified registered nurse. There are numerous terms in the literature with reference to new graduate programmes; transition to practice programme, nurse entry to practice programme, first year of clinical practice programme, new graduate programme and early career nursing programme. For the purpose of this article the term Nurse Entry to Practice (NETP) will be used in reference to any form of new graduate programme.