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First published online March 16, 2021
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Transition to Practice for New Nurse Graduates: Barriers and Mitigating Strategies

Crisi Reebals https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1493-670X [email protected], Tara Wood https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0638-5074, and Adelais Markaki https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2038-3139View all authors and affiliations
Volume 44, Issue 4
https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945921997925

Abstract

Inadequate transition to practice increases stress for new health care providers and threatens employment longevity. This integrative review aimed to synthesize the evidence on transition process for newly graduated registered nurses and advanced practice nurses in hospital settings and to identify enablers/barriers and mitigating strategies. Two databases were systematically searched for articles that described the process, strategies, participant perceptions, and implications of role transition with a final yield of 23 articles. Synthesis of the evidence revealed three major themes: (a) achieving competence for safe practice, (b) addressing stress during transition, and (c) reducing turnover. Emotional support for new graduates was instrumental to achieving clinical competence. Role transition adaptation was linked to anxiety, while emotional health was positively associated with retention. Developing best practices that address skill proficiency, attending to the emotional needs of new nurse graduates, and providing structured transition programs to improve clinical competence are the strategies of choice.

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