Challenges during transition period in pandemic settings among new nurses

International Journal of Research Studies in Management
CollabWritive Special Issue
2024 Volume 12 Issue 2

Available Online: 15 April 2024

Author/s:

Delgado, Mhayzel Brillantes
Graduate School, Lyceum of the Philippines University – Batangas, Philippines (mhayzeldelgado@gmail.com)

Abstract:

Recent nursing graduates and newly hired nurses find it challenging to transition from theory to practice in situations with significant risks. The pandemic worsens nurses’ already stressful jobs. The nurses, one of the primary healthcare systems fighting COVID-19, are at a greater risk of infection due to their essential role in patient diagnosis and treatment. Lack of PPE, hard workloads, inadequate medications, and insufficient assistance make the COVID-19 pandemic more dangerous. This study focused on the three (3) transitional stages, the doing phase, the being phase, and the knowing phase. Duchscher’s Stages of Transition Theory and Transition Shock Model in correlation to demographic profiles of the respondents via survey tool at the same time the lived experiences extracted from the semi-structured questionnaire were utilized in the study. Moreover, in order to help new nurses through the transition and improve retention rates, the researcher recommended this study to examine the difficulties they confronted. By means of a mixed method approach, the study utilized descriptive correlational and thematic analysis to evaluative the results. The purpose of descriptive studies was to describe the nature of the phenomenon under investigation after a survey of current trends, practices and conditions that relate to that phenomenon while the qualitative was to generate themes that will view the lived experiences of newly-hired nurses and their challenges during the transition period of pandemic. Sixty of eighty-four (60/84) respondents completed the survey questionnaire, and five were interviewed using purposive sampling. Private and government Lipa City hospitals have been investigated. In the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic, accurate and up-to-date information and guides were essential for patient and healthcare staff safety. When divided into demographic profiles based on age, sex, civil status, hospital type, and years of experience, there was no statistically significant difference in the level of transitional challenges they confronted in the doing, being, or knowing phases. However, connecting the “doing” and “being” phases yielded considerably different results for the allocated nursing department. The knowing phase demographic variable showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Thus, new nurses faced the same learning challenges regardless of their nursing area. In the thematic approach, based on Giorgi’s Existential Phenomenological research method, three themes were generated in each of the transitional stages. The themes under the doing phase were adjusting to new roles and responsibilities, Integration into Team-Oriented Environment, and Factorial Uncertainty and Jeopardizing Patient Care. The Being Phase comprised themes such as Rapid Shift of Critical Thinking, Upgrade of Knowledge, and Skills Competency and Context of Role Transition as a Learning Opportunity, and lastly, the Knowing phase themes were Intensified Personal and Professional Well-Being, Stress-Resilient Nurse in the Making and Positive Sense of Professional Responsibility all generated from the transcribed responses that came from the participants.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, newly-hired nurses, safety performance, transition challenges

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsm.2024.1017

Cite this article:
Delgado, M. B. (2024). Challenges during transition period in pandemic settings among new nurses. International Journal of Research Studies in Management, 12(2), 21-42. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsm.2024.1017