Nursing (article review)

New Nurses and Challenges They Face in Healthcare Lutheran School of Nursing NR 105: Fundamentals of Nursing II Fall Semester IntroductionAs with most students who earn their baccalaureate degree, many are uncertain what they will do with that degree once they graduate. Especially in the fast paced and dynamic environment of the nurse practitioner, many new nurses feel that they are unprepared for the demands required in healthcare. Generally, most nurses graduate, take the NCLEX and then start working in the nursing environment with little to no experience. This is the purpose of NNLI.
Main Concepts
NNLI, Novice Nurse Leadership Institute, is a university program at South Florida which is designed to develop nurses and equip them with essential skills that are required to succeed in the nursing environment. According to Dyess and Sherman (2009), all of the participants that come to this program have less than twelve months of practical nursing experience. This is essential because it allows everyone to start at the same level and develop their skills together. Of the selection of nurses entering the program, many reported having difficulty with: dealing with their emotions, communication problems, feeling isolated, making critical decisions as well as handling contradictory information.
Many in the program feel that they have the confidence to perform well based on the knowledge they accumulated during their college experience, but lack the practical application in order to handle unknown problems. “ They express confidence in their own abilities and hope that their will be organizational systems in place to support their emotional growth in areas where they needed development” (Dyess & Sherman 2009). This confidence will permeate all their abilities making them a more competent nurse. Learning to manage and channel their fear into constructive practice.
Another component that nurses lack when setting foot in the work force is in their communication skills. For example, Dyess and Sherman (2009) state that “ individuals refused to cooperate with requests for assistance or passively ignored call bell lights.” This is a kind of conflict in which new nurses are unable to deal with. NNLI will help them deal with horizontal violence, any act of aggression demonstrated by a colleague, and conflict through role play and discussion.
Professional isolationism is another type of problem nurses encounter during their first year. Because of the hectic and fast paced environment of nursing, many feel that because it is so busy that they cannot stop and ask their colleagues a question. NNLI tries to correct this by trying to create a link between the higher level nursing leadership and the new nurses.
Critical decision making is one of the most essential skills to have as a nurse. Many of the situations that nurses encounter have highly complex variables and require complex thought and decision making processes. This can often make a nurse feel overwhelmed due to lack of practical application. By providing periodic evaluations, older nurses can help new nurses become more acclimated to their duties.
Lastly, contradictory information can make a nurse’s job very difficult. In addition, most of the hospital policies and guidelines are hard to access. NNLI teaches new nurses to develop a relationship with one preceptor, which will allow trust to form between them and for the new nurse to feel confident that they have someone who will supply them with the correct information.
Conclusion
The pressure put on nurses is enormous and sometimes their needs are under met due to the way the education system is set up as well as the dragging economy. NNLI works to help provide that final bridge between student and practitioner. By giving them the advice and skills necessary to succeed, this program allows new nurses to be successful in the healthcare environment.
References
Dyess, S, & Sherman, R. (2009). The first year of practice: new graduate nurses transition and
learning needs. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 40(9), 403-409.