New nurses’ Perceptions of Their Experiences During Their First Year of Practice in Oncology Setting

Abstract

Background: A newly graduated nurses usually shows uneasiness in communication and dealing with clinical situations. The preceptorship program was created to develop new nurses' competencies. As well as many institutions helped their new nurses by designing a special program to ensure a smooth transition into manpower, the new graduate nurses program help them to acquire competencies which are necessary to practice the job. Aim: this study aimed to identify the nurses’ satisfaction and perception, explore the relationship between nurse experience and nurse satisfaction and measure the relationship between nurse experience and their perceptions toward support, organizing and prioritizing, communication/leadership, and professional satisfaction during the first year of practice in the oncology setting Method: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. The participants consisted of all nurses hired by the hospital from April 2018 to April 2019. Results: A total of 101 new graduates, aged 21 to 40 (m= 24.02, SD= 2.788), responded to the survey (response rate 57%). Overall, the length of the preceptorship programs varies, and it was ranged from 8 to 12 weeks and from 4 to 6 weeks for new graduates who had completed the internship in the hospital; the respondents reported a feeling of confidence and comfort when they were asked to share their experience, 69.3% of respondents had chosen the workload (e.g. organizing, prioritizing, feeling overwhelmed, ratios, patient acuity) considering it the most difficult transition experience. The study showed significant positive relationships between nurses’ experience and their satisfaction (salary, benefits package, Opportunity to work straight days, and Opportunities for career advancement) and significant negative relationships between nurses’ experience and their perception of support factors and professional Satisfaction factor. Conclusion: the results of this study reflect the challenges experienced with fear, stress, and confidence during first year of practice. Considering the new graduate nurse's experience and voice will reflect positively on practice.