Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing Education
Department
College of Nursing
First Advisor
Rutherford, Marcella
Publication Date / Copyright Date
2014
Publisher
Nova Southeastern University. College of Nursing.
NSUWorks Citation
Debra Shipman. 2014. Lived experience of transitioning to a new graduate nurse following a prelicensure hospital-based externship experience. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Nursing. (11)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_con_stuetd/11.
Abstract
Forty years after Kramer's (1974) seminal work, Reality Shock, new graduate nurses continue to have difficulty transitioning to the registered nurse (RN) role. The purpose of this phenomenological study explores the lived experience of new graduate nurses who completed a Veterans Affairs externship program in their senior year of nursing coursework and its perceived impact on their successful transition into the practice role 3-24 months following graduation. Benner's (1984) Novice-to-Expert Model, Karmer's (1974) Reality Shock Theory, and Selder's (1989) Life Transition Theory support a framework for this study. Twelve telephone interviews were conducted using van Manen's (1990) method for researching the lived experience. One overarching theme "feeling confident" and three main categories, "transitioning to the RN role," "making decisions," and "interacting with professionals," were identified from the data. Externship programs assist the student to comfortably and smoothly transition as a new graduate nurse by offering additional clinical and practice experiences. Given the complexity of today's health care environment, there is a growing need to better prepare the graduate nurse for their transition into nursing practice. Externship programs can serve this purpose.
Disciplines
Nursing
Files
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Comments
Also available: http://novacat.nova.edu:80/record=b2900343~S13