Becoming a good nurse – Socialisation of newly employed nurses into the oncological clinic

Abstract

Aim and objectives To explore newly employed nurses’ socialisation in the process of introduction into an oncological clinic from the perspectives of unit managers and newly employed nurses. Background There are managerial challenges in retaining nurses at workplaces. The way in which nurses are socialised into their work is important for their job satisfaction and retainment. Method Qualitative, semi‐structured interviews with seven nurses and two unit managers, and written introductory material. Thematic analyses were made, inspired by Goffman's concepts of social interaction, back stage, front stage and roles. SRQR checklist was used. Results Unit managers created the framework for socialising newly employed nurses through written introductory guidelines and assignments of supervisors as mainstream role models. Newly employed nurses were socialised gradually through mirroring their supervisors in their role as nurse. Front stage, patients often functioned as objects for newly employed nurses’ training. Back stage, patients often functioned as communication objects for all professionals. Newly employed nurses, who also demand roles such as transformer, boss, coordinator, prompter and friend, were socialised into the role of assistant to the doctor. Medical rounds functioned as a socialisator in this process. Conclusion The allocated supervisors were role models in socialising newly employed nurses into an oncological clinic and its culture. Nurses were socialised into an understanding of care as a biomedical orientation, in which medicine had a higher value than care in the existing knowledge hierarchy at the oncological clinic. This might have implications for who applies for and stays in the job. Relevance to clinical practice Increased awareness of the importance of socialisation of nurses into the clinic during the introduction process. Re‐thinking nurses’ independent functions and patient perspectives in introduction of newly employed nurses to maintain and develop nursing as an independent profession.

Smoothing the Way Into School Nursing Practice

“…Awareness of transition • Approachable to ask questions of and talk to about feelings Source. Chargualaf and Tse (2017), Innes and Calleja (2018), Lindfors et al (2018), Pasila et al (2017), Pettersson and Glasdam (2020).…”

“…Peer support. Informal, peersupport relationships with other school nurses or colleagues allow for ongoing collaboration, sharing of experiences and knowledge, and more honest communication than the formal preceptorship, creating an environment of trust, which helps new nurses deal with the stressors of the new job (Chargualaf & Tse, 2017;McQuilkin et al, 2020;Pettersson & Glasdam, 2020). Peer support helps create confidence, sustain the passion for nursing, and relieve tension (Pasila et al, 2017).…”

“…Support of supervisors, staff, and medical providers. New nurses who have positive experiences report feeling supported by their supervisors and others, such as site principals and staff, who also help with learning and feeling accepted (Hussein et al, 2017;Pettersson & Glasdam, 2020). Supportive managers and staff who are professional, accessible, approachable, knowledgeable, open to answering questions, and providing information about unwritten rules or expected behaviors, are beneficial to smooth assimilation (Ankers et al, 2018;Chargualaf & Tse, 2017;Pettersson & Glasdam, 2020).…”

Socialising of nursing students into homecare practice in Denmark: a Berger and Luckmann-inspired interview study

“…Further, studies show that clinical supervisors, their professional experiences, and engagement in students' learning processes are important for students' socialisation into clinical settings, 39,40 and for introduction and retainment of new graduate nurses in clinical settings. 41 Tanguy 42 dealt with the concept of master teaching and showed how a vocational education is also a social measure used to integrate young people into their work practice post graduation. Although nurse education no longer operates with the concept of master teaching, homecare training apparently works through master teaching, including a strong socialising power in relation to students' inclusion in and exclusion from the community of practice.…”

Manoeuvring between interplay and context- an ethnographic study of social interaction in encounters between registered nurses, older patients and their relatives

“…Goffman's work has received attention across the healthcare sciences, for example to illuminate interprofessional practice on hospital wards [20]. In the context of nurses' socialisation, A Pettersson and S Glasdam [21] expanded Goffman's notion of front-and backstage. Front stage, patients often functioned as objects for newly employed nurses' communication training, while backstage patients frequently functioned as objects for all professionals.…”