Impact of Interplaying and Compounding Factors in the Novice Nurse Journey: A Basic Qualitative Research Study

Abstract

Purpose This study explores the impact of interplaying and often compounding factors and the resulting ability to thrive as a novice nurse. Novice nurse attrition rates continue to be high, compounding concerns of an impending nursing shortage. There is currently a lack of research that seeks to understand how the interplay of contextual factors impacts novice nurses’ ability to manage the stressors endemic in the field. Design The study was performed using a Basic Qualitative Research approach. Eight western Canadian novice nurses underwent multiple iterative interviews to explore the impact of interplaying contextual factors. Findings: While participant experiences and contexts vary, common patterns of interplay among factors were clear. The interplay between previous life experience factors and the workplace context has a significant impact on the perception and management of workplace stimuli. Those with more developmental assets, garnered through life experience, are less likely to experience workplace stimuli as stressful, reducing their risk of emotional exhaustion and improving their ability to thrive. Implications for nursing: Understanding how interplay impacts the ability to thrive versus survive informs new graduate transition support efforts and enables an ability to articulate the compounding nature of common novice nurse stressors.

Novice nurse's transitioning to emergency nurse during COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative study

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“Where We Are, Resistance Lives”: Black Women, Social Media, and Everyday Resistance in Higher Education

“…Researchers have used qualitative research designs in psychological research (Perry, Kostere, & Kostere, 2015), nursing research (Dames, 2018), and education (Merriam, 2002). A qualitative design is useful for researchers interested in "(1) how people interpret their experiences, (2) how they construct their worlds, and (3) what meaning they attribute to their experiences.…”

Registered Nurses’ experiences of psychological well‐being and ill‐being in their first year of practice: A qualitative meta‐synthesis

“…The voices of the graduate nurses across studies were explored and translated into a single voice which was identified among all voices as most strongly representative of the identified patterns. For example, for the pattern of feeling welcome, valued and part of the team, the voice selected was ‘ I feel wanted, valued and accepted ’ (Clark & Springer, 2012), for the pattern of feeling adequately prepared was ‘ It's really overwhelming ’ (Clark & Springer, 2012), for depressed mood was ‘ I’m pretty down, pretty depressed’ (Dames, 2019). These voices were then sorted by the two reviewers independently, then through consensus by discussion, into those that appeared to be expressing positive emotions and experiences and conversely those expressing negative emotions and experiences.…”

“…There is never enough time to really think about what is going on with a patient. (Clark & Springer, 2012).…”

“…For example, for the pattern of feeling welcome, valued and part of the team, the voice selected was 'I feel wanted, valued and accepted' (Clark & Springer, 2012), for the pattern of feeling adequately prepared was 'It's really overwhelming' (Clark & Springer, 2012), for depressed mood was 'I'm pretty down, pretty depressed' (Dames, 2019).…”