Novice nurses constantly have problems adapting to new work environments. These are nurses who have been accustomed to the classroom but must now get out there to work. That brings a significant change in environment, workload, and the nature of tasks the nurse is expected to do. Sortedahl, Persinger, Sobtzak, Farrell, and Jaege (2017) conducted a survey among experienced nurses in leadership positions to establish the essential qualities and abilities for novice nurses.
Sortedahl et al. (2017) identified communication is the most important quality. A novice nurse adapts to the professional life quickly if they can communicate effectively with colleagues, patients, and families. The second was self-awareness; that entails knowing one's weaknesses, learning from past failures, and pursuing professional growth (Sortedahl et al., 2017). Thirdly, novice nurses should expect that change will happen as the move from class to real work environments, and they should be ready to handle the transition (Sortedahl et al., 2017). Leadership was the fourth quality, and conflict management was sixth. I cannot rate myself poorly in the five qualities identified, but I am not perfect. I feel there is still room for improvement in leadership and communication. I can improve the two aspects by taking more lead roles in group tasks and public events.
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Cho, Lee, Mark, and Yun (2012) did a survey to investigate turnover rates among graduate nurses. Factors affecting nurses turnover include family issues such as marriage and the size of the family, the social status of the nurse’s family, and the size and location of the hospital where the nurse is working (Cho et al., 2012). Further the level of job satisfaction was identified as one of the strongest determinants of how long a graduate nurse will hold on to their first job (Cho et al., 2012). Dissatisfaction is caused by failure of the graduate nurses to create interpersonal relationships with work colleagues, the physical work environment, and the content of the work (Cho et al., 2012).
The two studies covered in this paper are related in that the ideal qualities identified in Sortedahl et al. (2017) can reduce job turnover rates among graduate nurses. For example, if the graduate nurse is able to communicate effectively and manage conflicts, they are likely to develop interpersonal relationships with colleagues thus increasing job satisfaction. If the graduate can handle change, work content will not make them dissatisfied. From my experience, the relationships that one develops with mentors and leaders at the workplace determine how comfortable he/she feels.
References
Cho, S.-H., Lee, J. Y., Mark, B. A., & Yun, S.-C. (2012). Turnover of New Graduate Nurses in Their First Job Using Survival Analysis. Journal of Nursing Scholarshi , 63-70.
Sortedahl, C., Persinger, S., Sobtzak, K., Farrell, B., & Jaege, N. (2017). Essential Professional Behavior of Nursing Students and New Nurses: Hospital Nurse Leaders Perspective Survey. Nursing Education Perspectives , 297-303.
