Effects of an Innovative Training Program for New Graduate Registered Nurses: a Comparison Study

Abstract

New graduate registered nurses (NGRNs) face great challenge during the transition from school to clinical practice. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effects of a new training mode for newly recruited NGRNs in a Chinese teaching hospital. This is a quasi-randomized controlled study. One hundred and fifty NGRNs were randomly selected from a teaching hospital and assigned into two groups. The conventional training and a new training program were taken for the control group and the research group respectively. At the end of training, the two groups were evaluated and compared for theoretical knowledge and operation skills using a self-assessment questionnaire and the Chinese Registered Nurse Core Competency Scale. The theoretical knowledge (88.4 vs. 81.7, p<0.001), operation skills (94.8 vs. 90.3, p<0.001), and total core competencies scores (156.2 vs. 148.8, p<0.05) in the research group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Compared to the control group, the research group had statistically significantly higher scores in education and consultation (2.47 vs. 2.40), clinical nursing (2.87 vs. 2.62), interpersonal relationship (2.56 vs. 2.43), and critical thinking and scientific research (2.78 vs. 2.61). The innovative pre-job training program for NGRNs conducted in Chinese clinical nursing skill training bases could significantly improve the training effect and is worthy of broader implementation.