The National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s study of the transition of new graduate nurses confirmed what many hospitals already knew: There is a disconnect between education and real life experience in a hospital.
| The Problem | The Impact |
| New nurses care for sicker patients in increasingly complex health settings. | New nurses report more negative safety practices and errors than experienced nurses. |
| New nurses feel increased stress levels. | Stress is a risk factor for patient safety and practice errors. |
| Approximately 25% of new nurses leave a position within their first year of practice. | Increased turnover negatively influences patient safety and health care outcomes. |
From the National Council of State Boards of Nursing
The NCSBN concluded that, “There is a need for best practices of training new nurses that can be replicated across the country to ensure consistent quality of care, and drop the alarming turnover rates of new nurses”. They also provided TTP training courses that both new graduate nurses and preceptors can take:
How can a Transition to Practice model be integrated into your nursing orientation training?
As we know, new hire nurses can get overwhelmed by trying to learn everything about their new hospital, caring for patients, and dealing with possible reality shock. Pairing novice nurses with preceptors who can help guide them through their orientation helps combat this, but implementing a system that supports preceptors as well as preceptees can benefit your program immensely.
While nursing boards require certain documentation to be compliant, your preceptorship program should include all of the following to support new hire orientation:
- Convenient skills tracking. Both preceptees and preceptors should have an easy way to track their training so there are no gaps in competency.
- Weekly meetings. Preceptees should be meeting with their preceptors regularly, and tracking and recording weekly meetings will give preceptees important feedback, and allows preceptors to clearly communicate goals and expectations.
- An emphasis on well-being. New nurses are encouraged to keep a journal to that they can reflect on their learning and remain aware of their mental state. Incorporating self-reflection into your orientation process will emphasis this vital element of transitioning to practice.
