Developing work readiness in graduate nurses undertaking transition to practice programs: An integrative review.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• The transition from graduate to practicing nurse is a critical period.
• Effective support strategies are essential for successful integration into the healthcare workforce.
• Graduate Work Readiness encompasses four key domains: work competence, personal work characteristics, organizational acumen, and social intelligence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate strategies supporting graduate nurse transition-to-practice.
• To evaluate how these strategies align with the four domains of Graduate Work Readiness.

Main Methods:

• An integrative review with narrative synthesis was conducted.
• Searched multiple databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, ERIC, MIDIRS) and grey literature in 2019.
• Analyzed 20 eligible studies using a 5-step review process and the framework method, informed by the four domains of Graduate Work Readiness.

Main Results:

• Twenty-four transition-to-practice strategies were identified, with most addressing multiple work readiness domains.
• Structured education and preceptorship were the most frequently utilized strategies.
• Development of work competence was the most commonly measured outcome, while social intelligence was often a gap.

Conclusions:

• A combination of strategies is necessary to comprehensively address all four domains of Graduate Work Readiness.
• Strategies and their implementation must be tailored to the specific organizational and clinical workplace context.
• Enhancing social intelligence development is a key area for improvement in graduate nurse programs.