A longitudinal survey of nurses' self-reported performance during an entry to practice programme.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professional Development
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Transitioning from student to practicing nurse presents performance challenges for nurses and employers.
• Entry-to-practice programs are crucial for integrating new graduates into the nursing workforce.
• Defining and measuring performance expectations is vital for successful nurse onboarding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare self-reported changes in the frequency and quality of nursing behaviors.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a one-year entry-to-practice program for recent nursing graduates.
• To assess the utility of a modified Six-Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance (6-DSNP) in tracking developmental changes.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 33 recently graduated nurses in Aotearoa/New Zealand participated.
• Nurses completed a modified Schwirian's 6-DSNP at seven weeks and seven months into their program.
• Self-reported data on the frequency and quality of nursing performance were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in the frequency of performance were reported in leadership, critical care, teaching/collaboration, and planning/evaluation domains.
• Significant improvements in the quality of nursing behaviors were observed in critical care, planning/evaluation, and interpersonal relations/communication.
• The modified 6-DSNP proved effective in capturing self-reported performance shifts during the transition period.

Conclusions:

• The entry-to-practice program facilitated notable improvements in essential nursing skills for new graduates.
• Self-assessment using the modified 6-DSNP provides valuable insights into nursing performance development.
• Addressing performance expectations early is key to supporting nurses entering practice.