The West Michigan New Graduate Nursing Practice Readiness Assessment
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Paulette Chaponniere, Hope College
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
4-15-2011
Abstract
Transition for a new graduate of nursing school into the work setting can be challenging. Research has shown that hospital leaders perceive new graduates inexperience leads to a gap in nursing competencies such as critical thinking, prioritization and adjustment to workload. The purpose of this descriptive study is to confirm those competency areas by replicating the Nursing Executive Study (nationally based) in West Michigan new graduates. Patricia Benner’s Novice to Expert is the framework used as a foundation for this study because nurses develop their skills and ability to provide optimal care over time. An electronic survey was sent out to 370 new graduates, nurse preceptors, educators and managers located throughout four West Michigan hospitals. In addition, qualitative data was collected through the use of focus groups. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and rankings) were generated from the quantitative data and qualitative data was analyzed for patterns. Data analysis was used to rank the West Michigan results with the Nursing Executive Study. The results and conclusions are pending. A limitation of the study was a lack of participation in the new graduate focus group and unequal representation among units. In the future, this study suggests specific areas the academic curriculum and hospital orientation can address to promote development of the less proficient clinical competencies in new graduates. This will help create a smoother transition for new graduates throughout their first year of work.
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