Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Francisca Farrar
Abstract
The purpose of the systematic literature review project is to present the benefits of a nurse residency program (NRP) to assist new graduate nurses (NGNs) in transition to intensive care nursing. A theory-to-practice gap in knowledge and experience results in the need to support these nurses during their transition to professional practice. This project focused on compiling a systematic review of existing literature to provide evidence and insights into the optimal structure and process of transitioning new graduate nurses to intensive care nursing practice. The American Associations of Critical Care Nurses synergy conceptual model and Patricia Benner's novice to expert theory guided the literature review. Using the Walden University Library, the evidence was obtained from electronic databases, including Pub Med, Medline, EBSCO Host, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Psych Info, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria incorporated literature published in English in the 5-year time frame between 2017-2021. Key terms used during the search included new graduate nurses, transition to practice, nurse residency program, critical care, ICU, and new nurse. The John Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model was used to evaluate 17 articles meeting the predefined criteria. Evidence consistently supported that NRPs provide a supportive orientation program assisting in facilitating a successful transition to intensive care nursing. Intensive care-focused NRPs promote positive social change by improving NGNs self-confidence and nursing skills, resulting in a positive impact on patient health and quality of care due to increased nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Thornton, Sonja Marguerite, "Systematic Literature Review of Residency Program for Transition to Intensive Care" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13839.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13839
