Blooming as a New Nurse Amid Trials and Uncertainty: A Qualitative Content Analysis

New nurses often face a demand-ability mismatch during their transition to clinical practice, encountering a gap between the required skills and personal abilities. This mismatch contributes to negative emotions and transition shock, a phenomenon particularly pronounced among new nurses in Korea.

This study aimed to explore and understand the transitional experiences of new nurses during their first year of clinical practice.

Novice nurses from Seoul, Korea, were recruited for this qualitative study. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using content analysis.

New nurses reported facing uncertainty, overwhelming workloads, and insufficient support. These challenges were organized into: "doubt and self-perception," "insurmountable tasks," "striving for purpose," and "finding solace through connections." Despite these difficulties, their resilience emerged as a central theme, "blooming as a new nurse during trials and uncertainty."

New nurses experience significant uncertainty, self-doubt, and a gap between academic learning and the realities of clinical practice during their transition to practice. The findings provide a deeper understanding of their transition experiences and offer a foundation for strategies that support adaptation and workforce retention.

Nursing managers can translate these insights into best practices by adopting a dual approach-combining clinical transition programs, such as multipatient simulation, with stress management strategies-to strengthen adaptation, safeguard patient safety, and enhance organizational resilience.