A Nurse/Intern Partnership Program Accelerates Positive Relationship Formation Between Pediatric Interns and...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Nurse-intern relationships are crucial for patient care quality.
• Relationship development requires time, trust, respect, communication, and role clarity.
• A Nurse/Intern Partnership Program (NIPP) was hypothesized to expedite this process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a Nurse/Intern Partnership Program (NIPP) in accelerating relationship formation.
• To explore the impact of NIPP on communication, role understanding, and unit culture.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and focus groups.
• Data collected from nurses and second-year residents before and after NIPP implementation.
• Analysis employed a 5-stage qualitative research framework and thematic data analysis with independent coders.

Main Results:

• Thematic analysis supported existing models of relationship formation.
• NIPP accelerated nurse-intern relationship development by fostering an early ally, enhancing communication, and increasing role understanding.
• Interns reported a more positive impact of NIPP on the nurse-intern relationship compared to nurses.

Conclusions:

• The Nurse/Intern Partnership Program (NIPP) was positively received by both pediatric residents and nurses.
• NIPP effectively accelerated relationship formation between nurses and interns.
• The program showed potential for improving the overall culture of the pediatric unit.