Challenges Faced By New Graduate Nurses In Clinical Practice

The challenges Involved

Question:

Discuss about the Challenges when making a transition from school to the Clinical Field.

Introduction

New graduate nurses usually face challenges when undergoing a transition from the university to the clinical practice. As a graduate nurse, I have also faced a lot of challenges after graduating as I try to fit in in the nursing team that is already working. One major problem that I have faced is that of assimilation. It is difficult for me to fit in the team of the nurses who are not new in the field like me. It becomes difficult for them to accommodate me in their team because they feel that am not as experienced as they are. As I work as a new graduate nurse, there is a time I will be required to shift the work, work in a new environment and also work as a team. In Australia, in order for a person to make a transition from school into a practicing nurse, a lot of support is required. However, the practice becomes difficult for me because there is no support from the team members who see as if I am not adequately trained to serve as a nurse.

The challenges Involved

In most cases, I have to manage drugs on my own in areas where we were required to do it as a group. The action makes me fail to do it properly. At other times, they need to accommodate me in the group so that I can do learn what they do as we practice together. The team of nurses who have more experience than me often avoid me because I am a fresh graduate. The nurses make me get discouraged in my line of duty because they show me that am not learned enough to handle what they can handle. The action lowers my spirit as I strive to get incorporated in the nursing environment so that I can become productive in the field.  The problem also makes me lack confidence in work because I fear I might do things in the wrong way. The other nurses with the experience do not bother helping me in the field because they already concentrate on their own work (Del Catalano,  2015). Some of them are selfish and they feel that I will waste their time as they try to support me. The action becomes very challenging for me.

Strategies to assist my own development

Since am new in practice, I sometimes suffer stress and emotional problems at the place of work. The other nurses who are trained often do not have the time to give me emotional support because they feel that it is a waste of time.  The action of being sidelined also affects my self-esteem as I have to feel low while at the place of work. It also affects my devotion to work since I may not be very committed to work in areas where I am not sure about. The collaboration between the qualified and graduate nurses is essential in the nursing field to ensure that there is respect, support and trust among individuals in the nursing field (Zerwekh & Garneau, 2014)  . The lack of support and failure to accommodate me in the team may lead to low efforts of production and failing to reach my target. I sometimes have difficulties deciding what to do in a given area of my profession because I do not have adequate support from my team.  I have faced this problem and have seen how it is hard for people to refuse to accommodate others in their team. The other nursing professionals may also realize when the other trained nurses fail to accommodate the new ones in the nursing practice (Polifko, 2010). The reason is that they may see that there is something wrong between me and the other members of the team. However, I have tried to come up with measures that will help the other nurses to see the need of assimilating me in their group.

Strategies to assist my own development

 Since I find that leaving the profession is not an option, I have to find the means to cope in the nursing profession despite the challenge of not being accepted by the other members of the team. I have decided not to stop working but to work hard in areas that I have been assigned so that I may achieve my goals. At times I also join the trained nurses while doing various jobs that relate to the profession even when I do not feel welcome in the place. I work with them with the hope that someday they will stop avoiding me and treat me as one of them. I also try to convince them that it is necessary for them to try and show other who are new the way to follow. I work hard to ensure that I get the experience that is needed for me to be treated as a trained person and not as a fresh graduate. One the trained nurses see me more in the field, they will learn to accommodate me in the team as time progresses. The issue of not being taken as part of the team is hurting and may sometimes kill the morale of a person.

I will also try to prevent the challenge from prevailing in future by teaching my team members the importance of being supportive to their untrained friends. The action will help me assist the ones who come from colleges without knowing where to start.  I will also train my colleagues in future to be accommodative of the new nurses who come from various Universities and not to discourage them claiming that they are not trained (Yoder-Wise,  2014). I would not like the nurses who come after me to go through the hell that I have gone through while in the nursing profession. I will be more devoted in my work so that I can gain experience and also teach the other the importance of working with others in the team so that the health institution may achieve the desired outcomes. It is necessary for all the nurses to work as a team regardless of the fact that some are more experienced than others.

Various studies show the need for the experienced nurses to support the ones who are fresh from school. The experienced nurses also need to know the benefits of accommodating the new graduates since they may also be of benefit to them in the future (Molinari & Bushy, 2012). In order to address the problem, the health professionals are also advising the trained nurses the importance of working together and supporting the ones who are making a transition from school to the work environment. I am also trying to solve the problem by trying to fix myself in a group of the nurses who do not have a problem accommodating me. I try to look for a group of nurses that can help me in areas where I need assistance. I work with the supportive people even when they are few. Not all people can fail to support me (Bowles, and Candela, 2005).  There are some who try to teach me ways of coping in the nursing profession and how I can become a role model.

As another way of solving the problem of being sidelined by the team members, I had also told the senior nursing professionals to talk with my workmates so that they may incorporate others in the team. I also told them that they need to inform them about the need to be supportive to others. By sharing what am going through with my seniors, it will help solve the problem now and in the future (Chang and Hancock, 2003).  The vice need to stop in the nursing field in the future so that the fresh graduates may feel accommodated in the profession. The nurses are to get educated about the importance of giving emotional and moral support to the new graduates who join the nursing profession (Winfield et al, 2009). It is necessary for the trained nurses to work as examples to others rather than failing to accommodate them in the profession (Huston, 2014). The action sets a very bad example in the nursing field. I believe that talking to the nurses will help them change their minds on the way that they treat not just me but also other graduates who come after me. The health professionals also teach the trained nurses about the importance of emotional support to the new graduates. The help would enable people like me to feel encouraged to work harder in order to meet the required health outcomes.

Conclusion

The new graduate nurses face a lot of challenges when making a transition from school to the clinical field. Sometimes they have to cope with difficult issues on their own. One of the challenges that I face in the nursing field is the failure of the train the trained nurses to accommodate me. The problem makes me feel discouraged since I cannot manage to get fit in the work environment. Sometimes I even get emotionally disturbed.  I have worked hard to ensure that I will have the experience that they have so that they may stop treating me like a fresh graduate. I am also working towards eradicating the problem now and in the future. I shared with the senior health professionals to ensure that I get assistance from them regarding the issue. They will help me by talking to the nurses about the issue of working with others.

References

Bowles, C. and Candela, L., 2005. First job experiences of recent RN graduates: improving the work environment. Journal of Nursing Administration, 35(3), pp.130-137

Chang, E. and Hancock, K., 2003. Role stress and role ambiguity in new nursing graduates in Australia. Nursing & health sciences, 5(2), pp.155-163

Del Catalano, J. T. 2015. Nursing now!: Today's issues, tomorrow's trends. Philadelphia, PA : F.A. Davis Company, 

Huston, C. J. 2014. Professional issues in nursing: Challenges & opportunities. Baltimore, MD ; Philadelphia, PA : Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 

Molinari, D., & Bushy, A. 2012, the rural nurse: Transition to practice. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company  

Polifko, K. A. 2010, The practice environment of nursing: Issues & trends. Clifton Park, NY mar Cengage Learning.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation., Initiative on the Future of Nursing (Estats Units d'Ame?rica), & Institute of Medicine (Estats Units d'Ame?rica), 2011, The Future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.

Santucci, J., 2004. Facilitating the transition into nursing practice: concepts and strategies for mentoring new graduates, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 20(6), pp.274-284

Ulrich, B., Krozek, C., Early, S., Ashlock, C.H., Africa, L.M. and Carman, M.L., 2010 Improving retention, confidence, and competence of new graduate nurses: Results from a 10-year longitudinal database. Nursing Economics, 28(6), p.363 

Winfield, C., Melo, K. and Myrick, F, 2009. Meeting the challenge of new graduate role transition: Clinical nurse educators leading the change, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 25(2), pp.E7-E13

Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2014). Leading and managing in nursing. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier Mosby.

Zerwekh, J. A. G., & Garneau, A. Z. 2014, Nursing today: Transition and trends, St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier/Saunders.