Career profile of and feedback from graduates of a midwest curriculum

The purpose of this survey study was to create a career-activity profile of all physical therapy graduates from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (1972-1985) and to gather evaluative information for the planning of a postbaccalaureate entry-level degree program for physical therapy. A majority of the survey respondents (91%) were employed in physical therapy when the survey was made and were satisfied with their undergraduate program. A majority of the respondents resided in Nebraska or surrounding states and identified similar changes within the physical therapy profession. The results supported the hypothesis that a negative correlation would exist between the salaries of full-time physical therapists and the size of the population they serve. Graduates' recommendations to increase clinical education and student exposure to specialties were included in the University of Nebraska's postbaccalaureate physical therapy degree proposal. This graduate feedback system was helpful with physical therapy program planning to meet the identified needs of this regional area.     

Administrative preparation of clinical nurse specialists

A study is reported in which the authors examined the administrative preparation needs of a sample of 46 graduates of a clinical nurse specialist program who were surveyed 3 to 5 years after graduation. The study focused on three areas: current administrative responsibilities, administrative content in the graduate curriculum, and respondents' future goals for involvement in administration. Findings showed that the respondents' highest levels of current participation were in planning and policy functions (51 per cent) with a low overall involvement in other administrative functions. Eighty-five per cent of graduates felt that the master's degree nursing program should have allowed for more content in administration. A majority (54 per cent) had enhanced their skills in administration on the job or through continuing education. Twenty-five per cent planned a career focus on administration within 5 years. Study implications concerning future curricular priorities and pathways are discussed.     

Graduating nursing students' perceived preparedness for working in critical care areas

halcomb e.j., salamonson y., raymond d. & knox n. (2012)?Graduating nursing students perceived preparedness for working in critical care areas. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(10), 2229-2236. ABSTRACT: Aims. This article reports a study examining the relationships between undergraduate students' demographics, educational preparation and clinical experience and their self reported preparedness for employment in critical care. Background. Increasing demand for critical care services internationally, creates a need to grow the critical care nursing workforce. Limited data are available on factors affecting new graduate nurses' career choices. Methods. Final year nursing students from a multi-campus Australian university were surveyed during 2009. Results. Over half of the participants were interested in seeking employment in critical care following graduation. Main reasons for choosing critical care nursing were: (i) like varied and challenging work; (ii) opportunities for professional development; and (iii) like working one-on-one with patients. The main barriers identified by participants were related to the lack of knowledge and clinical skills required to work in critical care. Using the 9-item Confidence and Interest in Critical Care Nursing scale, the study revealed that male participants and those who spent more than 1 week clinical placement in critical care were significantly more likely to report greater confidence and interest in seeking employment in critical care areas. Conclusions. The value of placing nursing students in critical care areas for more than 1 week during undergraduate clinical placements is affirmed. Whilst most final year students report feeling prepared to work in critical care areas, the next step is to explore the transition of students as new graduates in critical care to identify professional and educational issues that impact on their retention.     

某高校五届护理本科生就业流向的回顾性分析

目的了解过去5年护理本科生就业流向情况,进一步分析和研究未来就业趋势,为就业指导提供可靠依据。方法采用回顾性研究方法,对5届毕业生就业状况加以总结,并进行统计学分析。结果三级医院就职人数呈现增长态势,二级医院就职人数变化不大,就职于医学院校人数显著减少,异地就职人数逐渐下降。结论大、中城市三级医院对护理本科生需求量较大,是护理本科生就业的主要目标;医学院校就职率明显下降,说明其对学历的要求普遍提高;越来越多的学生选择回家乡或家乡附近就职。     

Analysis of the ratings of competencies used in physical therapy practice

As an initial step for curriculum review, reevaluation, and change for a physical therapy undergraduate education program, a comprehensive list of competencies that would be appropriate for present-day rehabilitation health needs was developed, field tested, and rated by a target population of physical therapists practicing in the province of Quebec. The physical therapists surveyed represented all graduates of three university physical therapy programs who had been practicing in Quebec for up to three years and all directors of physical therapy services in the province. The 176 respondents rated 224 competency statements first according to their perceived level of importance in their clinical practice and second according to the respondents' self-evaluation of their level of competence. An analysis of the ratings of the importance and level of competence in relation to clinical practice, years of experience, and type of position indicates some needed changes in physical therapy education programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels and in continuing educational programs.     

应届护理本科毕业生非对口就业原因的质性研究

[目的]探讨应届护理本科毕业生非对口就业的原因.[方法]以某校2012届护理本科毕业生非对口就业者15人为研究对象,运用质性研究方法,对其中9名学生进行了深度访谈,现场录音与笔录,运用Claizzi分析程序分析.[结果]应届护理本科毕业生非对口就业的原因概括为自我价值观的影响、护理专业认知的影响和社会影响三大主题,其中护理专业认知的影响包括工作内容认知、工作模式认知、管理氛围认知和心理多重冲击,社会影响包括非自愿就读护理专业、护士社会地位偏低、带教老师自身的职业倦怠和行业间人才竞争.[结论]应届护理本科毕业生非对口就业是基于自我价值观基础上的选择,这种选择应该得到尊重.应届护理本科毕业生的专业认知失于偏颇,应该进一步修正.各种社会影响在应届护理本科毕业生非口就业的作用应得到护理管理者的重视.     

Preparing nurses for practice: a phenomenological study of the new graduate in Australia

Aims. To explore the expectations of final year nursing students before they start employment and to describe the experiences of newly graduated nurses during their first six months of employment as registered nurses. Background. Nursing shortages are at crisis point world wide with registered nurses leaving the profession at a high rate and changing occupations. Thus, there is a need to reflect on new graduate nurses experiences in relation to retention and support. Design. Husserl’s phenomenological approach was used to gain insight and understanding into the lived experiences of new graduate nurses. Methods. Students enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing programme at an Australian University were interviewed in their final semester and during employment in the hospital setting. Semi‐structured interviews were used to gather data from 13 participants. Data were collected at three intervals: prior to commencing employment, one month and six months postemployment and the results were analysed thematically. Results. As students, the participants held positive perceptions surrounding their impending role as a registered nurse and what it would encompass. However, after one month of employment, it became apparent that nursing comprised of a culture that embraced cliques which excluded them. The graduates were unprepared for ‘bitchiness’ and the limited amount of assistance with unfamiliar tasks they received from registered nurses. Participants also found rotating to different wards recreated the feelings they experienced on commencing employment. Conclusions. Nursing curricula should prepare new graduates for foreseeable stressors and oppressive practices so that graduates can become proactive in preventing and responding to factors such as silence and aggression. Moreover, nursing courses need to ensure that socialisation issues are addressed to assist in the eradication of oppressive practices. Finally, organisations need to address socialisation issues such as hostility within the workplace to address the attrition of new graduates from the profession. Relevance to clinical practice. Individuals in clinical practice settings need to be cognisant of the significant role that experienced registered nurses and nurse unit managers occupy in the socialisation of new graduate nurses. Additionally, there needs to be increased awareness that nursing culture can influence recruitment and retention of new graduates. Further, health care organisations need to evaluate the benefits of new graduates rotating through clinical areas in the first 12 months of employment.     

The Value of Undergraduate Electives for Recruitment in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing

The current nursing shortage has focused attention upon the need for the recruitment and retention of nursing students, as well as practitioners, to increase the available supply of nurses. Specialties such as psychiatric nursing which historically have not attracted a large percentage of graduates are at particular risk for nurse shortages. The nursing Literature of the past 15 years has demonstrated that undergraduate electives have served to interest students in particular areas of nursing. The experience of one baccalaureate nursing program which used a grant to institute electives for recruitment into employment and graduate study is described in this article.     

Graduates and initial employment

This research project was undertaken to inform nurse educators in the Department of Nursing and Health Studies of Manukau Institute of Technology of the employment opportunities for new graduate nurses emerging from the three year degree and registration programme. The research study aimed to contribute evidence for informed discussion when issues around curriculum development arose, particularly those issues that affect employment success of graduates. A literature review was undertaken of local and international studies and this highlighted a number of studies that examined the experience of new graduates in employment. There was however little evidence that studies had focused on the experiences of graduates as they initially sought employment or their perceptions of how their ability to successfully gain employment was linked to the nursing programme they were exiting from. The data collection tool was a survey consisting of a number of closed questions which required respondents to indicate the option most closely fitting their experience. Analysis of these results was undertaken using SPSS. The last section of the survey invited respondents to comment on any aspect of the focus of the study and qualitative analysis was undertaken of these comments. Graduates from the programme for the previous three years were targeted and names and addresses were available from departmental and institute databases. The research was submitted to the MIT Research and Ethics Committee who stated that the project did not require ethical approval as a retrospective, anonymous survey. 89.8% of graduates across the three years were successful in gaining employment in the first three months post registration. The number of graduates employed within a District Health Board (DHB) declined across the three years but there were no significant differences between cohorts. Overall, 73% of graduates were employed into new graduate positions. The majority of graduates felt that their nursing education prepared them well for their role as a registered nurse. The findings of the qualitative data identified a strong need for science throughout the degree; longer clinical blocks; increased hands on experience; more practice with skills and less theory in relation to practical experience. The results of the study have identified specific information about graduate employment and useful information for the development of a new curriculum.     

Where do all the undergraduate and new graduate nurses go and why? A search for empirical research evidence.

OBJECTIVE: To review the published scientific literature for studies quantifying or examining factors associated with the attrition of undergraduate nursing students in pre-registration programs and the retention of graduate nurses in the workforce. METHODS: The following selection criteria were used to systematically search the literature: target populations were either students in pre-registration nursing programs or registered nurses in their graduate year; the studies were to be primary observational or analytical (cross-sectional, case-control or prospective cohort studies) in design; and outcome measures were attrition in undergraduate programs and/or retention of graduates within the workforce. Three authors guided by a standardised procedure performed data extraction and quality assessment independently. Synthesis of the data appears in text and tabular format. Due to the heterogenic nature of the study methods, meta-analysis was not possible. RESULTS: This review found only four studies that met all inclusion criteria. All four studies examined undergraduate attrition as an outcome with two studies reporting a range of 25-27% attrition within the first year. No studies were found that quantified or examined retention of new graduates as an outcome measure. Only two of the four studies followed cohorts of students prospectively and were able to provide a high level of evidence, although each of these studies was designed to assess specific exposures as potential predictors of attrition, rather than assess actual factors associated with students leaving their program. CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of research studies in the literature from which evidence quantifying attrition and retention and the reasons why students leave undergraduate nursing programs or new graduates leave the profession can be obtained. Clearly there is a need to systematically track undergraduates and new graduates to quantify and understand attrition, retention and workforce choices within the nursing profession and begin to build this evidence-base.     

The enculturation of our nursing graduates.

The transition from undergraduate nursing student to employment as a registered nurse is fraught with difficulties for a neophyte. This qualitative study used interviews and focus groups with graduate nurses from the Flinders University of South Australia in their first year of practice to ascertain their experiences as new graduates. The results reveal an enculturation of graduates not conducive to ongoing learning, consolidation of skills and application to practice. A rushed environment that was unpredictable, together with a lack of support, were recurrent themes from the graduates' perspective. Graduate nurse programs are run by institutions focused on outcomes and expenditure. There is little or no collaboration with the tertiary sector in providing appropriate programs according to graduates' needs. The graduates, as beginning practitioners, focused on not having the time to nurse holistically, an unrealistic workload, and the need for backup and continuous support on an individual basis. The wards, although possibly efficient and effective in providing health care, provided a culture where the graduates felt inadequate, rushed, overworked and unsupported, which is contrary to the aims and objectives of the graduate nurse programs. The nursing profession as a whole needs to develop a culture that is nurturing, enabling, supportive and protective of our young.     

Bicultural training: a cost-effective program.

The effects of a bicultural training program in easing adjustment to the work world were studied on new graduate nurses working in eight medical center hospitals. Data from that study are used to examine program costs per new graduate-head nurse dyad. The cost effectiveness of the bicultural program is illustrated by comparing program costs with savings resulting from decreased turnover among new graduates who receive bicultural training. The mean time and cost estimates for the program may be used by others to determine cost effectiveness of bicultural training in their own institutions.     

护理本科生放弃读研选择就业心理体验的质性研究

目的探讨护理本科生放弃读研选择就业（以下简称弃研就业）的真实感受,以期为临床护理和护理教育管理者提供启示。方法2012年3月,采用目的抽样法选取山东省某三级甲等医院弃研就业的护理本科生9名为研究对象,以半结构深入访谈法对其进行访谈,采用Colaizzi分析方法对资料进行分析、整理。结果护理本科生弃研就业的心理体验主要有纠结心理、对选择就业抱有希望、就业后后悔放弃读研、就业后不后悔放弃读研、展望中调试自己等。结论护理本科生弃研就业的心理体验有很多负性方面的影响因素。护理教育和临床护理管理者,应积极引导护理本科生继续读研,以满足护理学科需要高素质人才的需求。     

A comparison of the career aspirations of degree and P2000 diploma graduates from UK nursing programmes

AIM: This paper reports the findings from a study of career aspirations undertaken as part of a larger study on the graduate outcomes of two different preregistration nursing educational programmes in the UK. METHODS: A self-completion questionnaire was administered to 52 degree graduates and 28 diplomates from two Universities on completion of their course. FINDINGS: The findings suggest that while graduates appeared more definite over their long-term career goals, diplomates were more confident in their initial decision to enter the nursing profession. All respondents showed a marked tendency towards hospital-based clinical posts on graduation. Degree graduates displayed a greater interest in working overseas, nominating a far broader range of possible destinations and expressed interest in a wider range of further education courses, including Master's and PhD degrees. CONCLUSIONS: The career aspirations of degree graduates and diplomates revealed in this study highlight a number of issues with implications for workforce planning, recruitment and retainment. Further larger scale longitudinal research is warranted.     

Preparing to retake the NCLEX-RN. The experience of graduates who fail

Many schools of nursing counsel and provide practice sessions to their students in initial preparation for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). What then of the graduates who fail and are now outside of the educational and often supportive environments of schools of nursing? Graduates cannot be employed to practice what they have learned, nor do schools of nursing have the programs to assist graduates who have failed. How can these graduates be enabled to succeed? The authors discuss the stories of 10 graduates who failed the examination and their preparation to retake it. Data from their study reveal important ways that nurse educators can help graduate nurses during this stressful period in their lives.     

Factors that influence the recruitment and retention of graduate nurses in rural health care facilities

Rural nursing is a distinct practice and rural nurses in Australia constitute the largest group in the rural health workforce. However, the rural workforce is ageing and the turnover of nurses in rural areas is high. In addition, rural health services are experiencing recruitment and retention difficulties; very little is known about the recruitment and retention of new graduates nurses in rural health areas and the potential long-term investment they could offer to rural health services. A qualitative study explored the journey of transition for new graduate nurses employed in graduate nurse transition programs in northern New South Wales. This paper presents two major themes from the study that describe the factors that influenced the new graduate nurse to seek and accept a graduate nurse position within a rural health setting and the factors that influenced their retention. Findings indicate that previous connection with a rural area and positive experiences in a rural health care facility during undergraduate preparation were significant factors influencing the graduate nurses' decision to pursue a rural graduate nurse position. No guarantee of a permanent appointment upon completion of the graduate program, and graduates' disappointment with graduate nurse programs, were important factors influencing their retention within rural health care facilities.     

The Need for Graduate Education in Community Health Nursing: A Survey

Home health care agency administrators and staff members were surveyed to determine areas of interest for a proposed expansion of the graduate program in community health nursing at Boston University School of Nursing. Two interrelated questionnaires were designed, one for administrators, the other for staff, and were mailed to agency directors. Forty-six percent of the administrators and 29 percent of staff members responded. Roughly half (49%) of the staff members were graduates of baccalaureate programs in nursing and interested in graduate education in nursing. Clinical specialization within home health care was the area of greatest interest for both administrators and staff members, followed by home health care administration. Many agencies provided released time for the part-time evening study preferred by staff. It was concluded that there is a great deal of interest in graduate education in home health care, including both clinical specialization and administration. Agency directors stated they were willing to hire graduates of such programs, and the overwhelming majority of staff members who were eligible for and interested in graduate study identified an interest in the subject.