TRANSITION FROM NURSING SCHOOL TO WORK. (NURSING)

You have graduated from University with your Bachelor’s Degree in nursing orAssocite Degree. It is difficult for some people to transfer from school to work. “The transition from the educational settings to the workplace is difficult for many individuals “( Kramer 1974)It is not easy to adapt because of the following reasons.

(1)Role conflict between the skills and knowledge that you acquired in School . School is just the basic.While the NURSING Schools might think that students are ready to hit the floor and start running on day one .Employers think “not so Fast”. They( hospitals management) believe strongly that based on experience that new graduates need extensive three months hospitals orientation.

The hospitals have their policies and procedures that the nurses must abide by. So when you arrive in your new work place you must function and behave in a specific way.This new challenges forces the new nurse to be refocused on technical things learned in nursing programs without trying to understand the application of procedures. For example nursing students were taught about tracheostomy care in college but have not really taken care of patients with tracheostomy so focusing on application and learning how to do it, is important for the new nurse.If the new nurse gets FIXATED on what was learned in school ,it will be difficult to adapt to the new workplace settings. You( new nurse)must pay attention and learn how to do basic nursing jobs such as insertion of saline lock,using the IV pump and connecting the IV solution,starting tube feeding, blood transfusion, placement of fecal incontinent tube into the rectum. You are no longer in a Stimulation laboratory. These are real patients and there are potential lawsuits for injuries of the patients. Employers don’t want that.So the six weeks to three months orientation becomes very important for the employer.

(2)The Process of Social Integration:Where are you as a new nurse?.When you are integrated it increases your confidence, giving you a boast,and reduce stress. What stage are you in?.This is the stage that you are beginning to be accepted by your co-workers.To be honest acceptance by your peers is associated with COMPETENCE, EFFECTIVENESS and SKILLS. Develop a great interpersonal skills, don’t listen to the criticism. Keep on working to improve, learn and practice, practice. Remember that practice make perfect. Roman empire was not built in one day.It took years of hardwork. The most important thing is to understand the job.

(2)The Disappointment Stage: The new nurse is no longer new ,learned all the skills, policy and procedure, bureaucracy, principles, standards, primary loyalty to the patients and hospital administration but there is still no recognition. They are not given major roles to play such as charge nurse, resource nurse but were relegated to the background. This create frustration, anger and inadequate.

(4)Conflict Resolution: These nurses become insatiable, feels insecure, unhappy with management, other nurses because they learn all the skills, paperwork, procedures.Now what?.And some of them will change department, change hospital or decides to choose a work environment that is outside hospital setting. When they react that way, it shows that he or she is thinking outside the box.

Conclusively, the most important and appropriate things are for the transition nurse to learn and understand the job,develop great interpersonal skills, integrate in their new role, and able to work together with others as a team player. Learn as much as possible the new role so that they can work independently in their job.