Transition to Practice Study in Hospital Settings

Description

This multisite study of transition to practice included 105 hospitals in three states. Hospitals volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to either the study group or the control group, and all new graduate registered nurses hired between July 1 and September 30, 2011, were invited to participate. The study hospitals adopted the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s Transition to Practice model program; control hospitals continued using their existing onboarding programs, which ranged from simple orientation procedures to structured transition programs with preceptorships. The new graduate nurses who volunteered for the transition to practice study (n = 1,088) filled out surveys at baseline, 6, 9, and 12 months after beginning their first nursing position. Competence was reported by both the new nurses and their preceptors. New nurse self-reported data included the number of errors, safety practices, work stress, and job satisfaction. The hospitals provided retention data on the all the new graduates hired during the study period. Though the results showed few statistically significant differences between the two groups, when the hospitals in the control group were categorized as having established or limited programs, differences were detected. Hospitals using established programs had higher retention rates, and the nurses in these programs reported fewer patient care errors, employed fewer negative safety practices, and had higher competency levels, lower stress levels, and better job satisfaction. Structured transition programs that included at least six of the following elements were found to provide better support for newly graduated RNs: patient-centered care, communication and teamwork, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, informatics, safety, clinical reasoning, feedback, reflection, and specialty knowledge in an area of practice.

Authors
Nancy Spector, PhD, RN, FAAN, Mary A. Blegen, PhD, RN, FAAN, Josephine Silvestre, MSN, RN, Jane Barnsteiner, PhD, RN, FAAN, Mary R. Lynn, PhD, RN, FAAN, Beth Ulrich, EdD, RN, FACHE, FAAN, Lou Fogg, PhD, and Maryann Alexander, PhD, RN, FAAN
Citation
Spector, N., Blegen, M.A., Silvestre, J., Barnsteiner, J., Lynn, M.R., Ulrich, B., Fogg, L., & Alexander, M. (2015). Transition to practice in hospital settings. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 5(4), 24-38.
Publish Date
2015
Topic
Practice, Research
From
Research Library
Type
Research Item