Lost in transition--a review of qualitative literature of newly qualified Registered Nurses' experiences in their transition to practice journey

Abstract

The failure of newly qualified Registered Nurses to be appropriately transitioned into the new practice has been mentioned in numerous nursing literatures. Along with the need to decrease turnover rates, increase satisfaction rate of nurses and improve patient outcomes, nursing educators in Singapore are interested in the experiences of these nurses in their transition to practice journey. In this paper, the author attempts to critically review qualitative research conducted in that area to identify why nurses are leaving the profession and how nursing educators in Singapore can reduce stress and uncertainty in the newly qualified Registered Nurses during their transition to practice journey. In conducting a qualitative literature review, the author aims to explore interpretation of these nurses' subjective experiences and description of their social context, ultimately paying attention to lay knowledge as human behaviour is context specific rather than being represented in the quantitative form.