Implementation of an Enculturation Toolkit for New Nurses During Unit Onboarding

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Organizational Psychology
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• New nurse enculturation is vital for engagement, performance, belonging, and retention.
• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated shortened, virtual, and asynchronous orientations, creating an enculturation gap.
• Addressing this gap is crucial for supporting newly onboarded nursing staff.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the enculturation gap among new nurses.
• To develop and pilot an Enculturation Toolkit.
• To evaluate the toolkit's impact on new nurse engagement and organizational belonging.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project was conducted involving new nurses and their preceptors.
• Surveys were administered at baseline, 2-3 months, and 4-5 months.
• The Meaning and Joy in Work Questionnaire (MJWQ) and organizational history/values questions measured enculturation and engagement.

Main Results:

• High Meaning and Joy in Work Questionnaire (MJWQ) scores were sustained throughout the study.
• Participants showed improved knowledge of the organization's mission and logo.
• New nurses reported favorable ratings for toolkit activities, averaging 4.6/5.

Conclusions:

• The Enculturation Toolkit proved effective in enhancing new nurses' knowledge of organizational identity.
• The toolkit successfully sustained engagement and fostered a sense of belonging among new nurses.
• This quality improvement initiative offers a model for improving new nurse integration.