Nurse manager support of graduate nurse development of work readiness: An integrative review

Abstract

Aim: To systematically review relevant literature to identify how Nurse Managers support graduate nurse work readiness.

Background: Graduate nurses face many difficulties when transitioning from student to qualified nurse. Nurse managers establish workplace culture through leadership styles, yet little is known about how they can best support graduate nurses to transition to professional practice in the acute hospital environment.

Design: A five-step, systematic integrative review reported in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 Checklist.

Methods: The steps of the review method included (1) problem identification, (2) literature search, (3) data evaluation and quality appraisal, (4) data extraction and analysis and (5) presentation. Analysis used the Framework method and was guided by theory of graduate nurse work readiness and the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Data sources: MEDLINE COMPLETE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) Complete, ERIC and PSYCINFO searched in December 2020.

Results: Studies eligible for inclusion (N = 40) represented research from 15 countries; most (67.5%, n = 27) used a qualitative design, 22.5% (n = 9) were quantitative and 10% (n = 4) used mixed methods. Three themes related to the social constructs and local area work environments influenced by nurse managers emerged: supporting people, supportive environment and supporting learning.

Conclusion: The review identified a lack of robust evidence about the effectiveness of specific nurse manager-led strategies to support development of graduate work readiness. However, the findings provide a framework to guide nurse managers in supporting graduate nurses and provide a foundation for further research about nurse manager roles in developing graduate work readiness.

Implications for the profession or patient care: Previous research has described poor transition of graduate nurses as responsible for increased workplace errors, decreased job satisfaction and high rates of attrition. Exploring the role of nurse managers in graduate nurse transition is essential to ensure quality patient care and a sustainable workforce.

Impact: What Problem Did the Study Address? Graduate nurses face many difficulties when transitioning from student to qualified nurse. Nurse managers establish workplace culture through leadership styles, yet little is known about how they can best support graduate nurses to transition to professional practice in the acute hospital environment. What Were the Main Findings? High rates of attrition are attributed to poor support during the initial transition phase of graduate nurses. Nurse managers can impact transition by providing a supportive environment, support learning and by providing a team of supportive people. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? The research will have an impact on graduate nurses and nurse managers.

Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution (integrative review exploring existing literature). This integrative review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021213142).

Keywords: graduate; graduate nurse; nurse administrators; nursing; nursing education; supervisory; transition; work readiness.