Transition to practice programs: What Australian and New Zealand nursing and midwifery graduates said. A Graduate eCohort Sub-Study

Abstract

Aim To describe what Australian and New Zealand graduates said about the Nurse Entry to Practice program.

Background The Nurse Entry to Practice is a structured programme that offers professional and educational support for graduate nurses in their first year of practice.

Method The qualitative research described and reported herein constitutes a sub-study of the Graduate e-Cohort Study. This qualitative sub-study describes the responses to one on-line survey question offered in 2013 which asked about issues around gaining employment. Only those responses related to the Nurse Entry to Practice program by 197 recently graduated Australian and New Zealand nursing and midwifery students as they transitioned into professional practice are presented.

Results Graduates looking for jobs in the year 2009 and 2010 were positive about their uptake of a Nurse Entry to Practice program. At the time the programs were a viable and plentiful option in which the graduate could take a program associated with a final undergraduate clinical placement. This resulted in these graduates remaining in the ward or organisation where the program was undertaken. This consequence was reported more widely by 2008 graduates, 2009 graduates from New Zealand but was not reported at all by 2010 graduates. Nurses or midwives looking for a job in 2011 reported less on a Nurse Entry to Practice program and when they did they indicated that the program was hard to get into.

Conclusion This research offers educators, employers and administrators insights into improving the transition experience for recently graduated nurses and midwives.