Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Nursing
Advisor
Janice Long
Abstract
Newly graduated nurses (NGNs) are not prepared to transition to practice, often leaving practice within the first year. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study, guided by Meleis’ transition theory, was to explore the NGN’s perceptions of their senior practicum experience and how the experience prepared them for transition to practice. The Covid-19 pandemic limited recruitment of participants. After extended recruitment efforts, three NGNs were recruited, interviewed using a semistructured interview guide, and recorded using Zoom, which was verified while listening to the recording. The Ravitch and Carl three-pronged coding approach and NVivo was used to assist with the manual coding process to reveal six codes leading to two themes: (a) a lack of practicum experiences in general, failure to meet the individual needs of the students, generally poor nursing care, and choice of site made the practicum a poor learning environment and (b) practicum experiences that met the needs of the students, getting to practice and improve nursing skills, and optimal learning experiences made the practicum a good learning experience. Recommendations include an improved process for selecting practicum sites and additional research studies focusing on the effect of new nurses’ transition to practice during the last semester nursing practicum and after graduation in a repeated measures study. Attention to providing practicum experiences that meet student learning needs will effect positive social change by improving retention of newly graduated nurses, impacting the nursing shortage and improving patient care.
Recommended Citation
Mays, Trilla, "Student Nurses’ Senior Practicum Experience and Its Role in Transition to Practice" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13559.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13559
