Evaluation of the Transition-to-Practice Arrangements for Novice Perioperative Nurses: Protocol for a Mixed Methods...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professional Development
• Perioperative Nursing

Background:

• Novice nurses face significant challenges, including "transition shock," when entering clinical practice or new specialties.
• Perioperative nursing presents unique difficulties for nurses in their first year.
• There is a current gap in empirical evidence regarding effective transition programs for perioperative nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate existing transition-to-practice (TTP) arrangements for new graduate and novice nurses in Australian perioperative settings.
• To develop an evidence-based framework to guide future TTP arrangements in perioperative nursing.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory, sequential mixed-method design utilizing multilevel triangulation.
• Phases include document analysis, surveys, and semistructured interviews.
• Data aggregation and analysis in Phase 4 will use meta-inference and triangulation.

Main Results:

• Project approved in June 2023, with ethics approval and recruitment initiated for phases 1 and 2.
• As of August 2024, 50 responses collected in Phase 1 and 69 in Phase 2.
• Phase 3 data collection is projected for May 2025, with Phase 4 in 2026.

Conclusions:

• The study will offer an in-depth exploration of current TTP arrangements in Australian perioperative nursing.
• A robust framework will be developed, integrating empirical evidence, literature, and pedagogy.
• Findings will guide the future design and implementation of effective TTP programs for novice perioperative nurses.