Program coordinators' perspectives on implementing a transition program for newly graduated nurses: a qualitative interview study.

PURPOSE: While transition programs are widely used to facilitate newly graduated nurses transition to healthcare settings, knowledge about preconditions for implementing such programs in the hospital context is scarce. The purpose of this study was to explore program coordinators' perspectives on implementing a transition program for newly graduated nurses. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: An explorative qualitative study using individual interviews. Total of 11 program coordinators at five acute care hospital administrations in a south-west region in Sweden. Data was subjected to thematic analysis, using NVivo software to promote coding. FINDINGS: The following two themes were identified from the analysis: Create a shared responsibility for introducing newly graduated nurses, and establish legitimacy of the program. The implementation process was found to be a matter of both educational content and anchoring work in the hospital organization. To clarify the what and why of implementing a transition program, where the nurses learning processes are prioritized, was foundational prerequisites for successful implementation. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper illustrates that implementing transition programs in contemporary hospital care context is a valuable but complex process that involves conflicting priorities. A program that is well integrated in the organization, in which responsibilities between different levels and roles in the hospital organization, aims and expectations on the program are clarified, is important to achieve the intentions of effective transition to practice. Joint actions need to be taken by healthcare policymakers, hospitals and ward managers, and educational institutions to support the implementation of transition programs as a long-term strategy for nurses entering hospital care.

The impact of transition programs on well-being, experiences of work environment and turnover intentionamong early career hospital nurses.

BACKGROUND: Transition programs for newly graduated nurses in hospital settings are reported to provide learning opportunities, strengthening confidence, workplace integration and skills, retention and job satisfaction. Still, our knowledge of long-term effects is scarce and few studies have used control groups. OBJECTIVE: To explore the long-term impact of having attended a transition program on the nurses' experiences of the first years of practice. More specifically, ideology-infused psychological contract, ethical stress, perceived organizational support, job satisfaction, opportunities for learning, and intention to stay in the nursing profession, were explored as outcome variables. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was carried out among registered nurses from November 2019 to January 2020, with a 54% response rate. The analysis was based on 149 nurses who had attended a transition program, and 72 who had not attended. The nurses had seniority between one and three years. Independent samples t-test were used to investigate differences between the groups. RESULTS: The two groups showed small and non-significant differences in the outcome variables. However, regarding the frequency of ethical value conflicts induced by insufficient resources, as well as experiences of ethical value conflict distress, the group of nurses who had attended a transition program showed statistically significantly higher mean values, although the effect sizes were small. CONCLUSION: Newly graduated nurses need more than transition programs and skills training to progress in their nursing role and develop competence, increase job satisfaction, and reduce stress. Achieving these goals requires a long-term supportive learning environment that is integrated into everyday work.

Tactical leaders' and collaborative organizations' non-technical skills during major road tunnel incidents - An iterative focus group study.

INTRODUCTION: Leadership during major incidents has been described as challenging and dependent on the non-technical skills of leaders. The complex tunnel environment contributes to an even more challenging incident response. Hence, this study aims to identify elements of non-technical skills when leading collaborative road-tunnel incident responses. METHODS: The study was conducted using four focus group discussions with tactical leaders from the rescue services, emergency medical services, police, and collaborative organizations from the emergency dispatch center and road-traffic control center. The data was analyzed using a non-technical skills taxonomy. RESULTS: Twelve non-technical skill elements emerged. Abilities to gather, sort, and proactively share relevant information and dispatch the correct resources were described. Additionally, abilities to prioritize actions and cooperate to establish a shared operational picture were found. Abilities to adjust leadership to the tunnel environment and conditions and assess the severity of the incident to make decisions were also described. CONCLUSION: When managing a road-tunnel incident response, tactical leaders utilizes a range of non-technical skills. The elements of these skills were found to be specific both to the tunnel environment and the collaborative nature of the response. Further studies into and development of these skills are needed to facilitate a timely response and minimize potential risks to personnel or evacuees in future tunnel incident responses.

Prepared to learn but unprepared for work: A cross sectional survey study exploring the preparedness, challenges, and needs of newly graduated nurses entering a hospital-based transition program.

The study aims to investigate new graduate nurses the perceptions of educational preparedness, their challenges, and their expectations during their transition to hospital care and introduction to work. BACKGROUND: Previous research has raised questions about new graduate nurses' (NGNs) preparedness for work in the clinical setting, and transition programs have been implemented to smooth the transition process. Information about NGNs' expectations of both transition programs and their introduction to work when first entering the nursing profession is scarce. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey design was used. METHOD: NGNs enrolled in a regional transition program in six hospitals were recruited from three-cohorts during September 2021, January 2022 and September 2022. After responding to a survey both a qualitative and quantitative approach was used when analyzing responses. RESULTS: Quantitative and qualitative findings derived from 248 NGNs responses showed that 65% of the NGNs perceived that nursing education in general prepared them for clinical work, that they were prepared for and committed to workplace learning but require support from a well-designed transition program as well as from colleagues and managers in their ward unit. The conclusion is that the preparation provided by nursing education as well as organizational factors in the healthcare workplace influence new graduate nurses' readiness for clinical work, the challenges they perceive, and their needs for learning and support.

The value of simulation-based education in developing preparedness for acute care situations: An interview study of new graduate nurses' perspectives.

AIM: This study aimed to explore how new graduated nurses experience a one-day simulation based education, contributing to providing care in acute situations two months after completion. BACKGROUND: Simulation-based education is often offered to new graduated nurses as part of important workplace learning. Simulation-based education is a valid learning and teaching strategy and is suggested as a measure to improve nurses' ability in acute situations. However, studies are often conducted as pre-post evaluations immediately after completion of a simulation. Thus, knowledge of the clinical impact of simulation-based education on actual acute care situations could benefit both research and practice. DESIGN/METHOD: During the winter of 2021-2022, 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with newly graduated nurses two months after they completed the simulation-based education and the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The results are presented in three themes: a structured and shared strategy to handle acute situations, a developed role in acute situations and a more comprehensive understanding of acute situations. The results revealed that simulation-based education can contribute to the ability to care in acute situations in terms of action readiness and broad contextual understanding. CONCLUSION: Simulation-based education can help develop the ability to care for patients in acute situations. However, differences in participant experiences must be acknowledged and processed in order for the implementation and outcome to be successful.

The experience of new nurses' early working life: Learning in a hospital care context - An interview study.

AIM: To explore how nurses during their early working life learn to provide high-quality care in relation to organisational prerequisites in a hospital setting. BACKGROUND: When nurses enter employment in contemporary hospital settings, they face multiple learning challenges. Organisational prerequisites that have been identified to affect their ability to learn to provide high-quality care are related to staffing turnovers, large patient groups and a lack of experienced staff to support their learning. DESIGN: Qualitative. METHODS: The study was conducted between 2018 and 2019 at a medium-sized hospital in Sweden. Data from interviews with 10 nurses with fewer than two years' work experience were subjected to qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The results describe the nurses' learning during their early working life in two categories: Performing tasks in relation to organisational prerequisites and Making use of clinical experiences to grasp the complexity of nursing care. The first theme reflected a learning process that was initially characterised by seeking confirmation and instructions from colleagues of how to act safely and by balancing the demands of time efficiency and sustaining patient safety. The second theme reflected that, after addressing organisational prerequisites, the nurses tried to understand and make use of clinical experiences to grasp the complexity of nursing care by encountering and processing clinical patient situations. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study revealed that nurses' learning during early working life seemed to be primarily directed towards handling tasks, with sometimes limited opportunities to grasp the complexity of nursing care. Their learning depended largely on their own initiative and motivation and was strongly influenced by organisational prerequisites. The limited availability of experienced nurse colleagues and lack of time devoted for reflection needs to be dealt with to support nurses' learning.

Ability to Care in Acute Situations-The Influence of Simulation-Based Education on New Graduate Nurses.

INTRODUCTION: Simulation-based education is frequently used in transition programs for new graduate nurses. Simulation-based education is implemented as a measure to practice nursing skills, gain experience, and prepare nurses for caring in challenging situations, such as acute situations. However, concerns about the data supporting the use of simulation are obtained from small studies that do not use validated measurement scales. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the influence of simulation-based education on new graduate nurses' perceived ability to provide care in acute situations. METHODS: A total of 102 new graduate nurses participated in simulation-based education as a mandatory part of an introductory program. They completed a premeasurement and a postmeasurement using the Perception to Care in Acute Situations scale. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the paired samples t test were used to test the statistical significance of outcomes for the simulation-based education, with the alpha set at 0.05. Cohen's d formula was used to calculate the effect size. RESULTS: The Wilcoxon signed-rank test on the total scale score showed that simulation-based education resulted in a statistically significant change in the nurses' perceptions of their ability to care in acute situations (N = 99; Z = 7877; P < .001). The paired samples t test showed that the mean posteducation score was significantly higher (P < .001) in the total score. Cohen's d formula (-1.24) indicated a large effect size on the total score. DISCUSSION: Simulation-based education can provide an effective means of improving new graduate nurses' perceived ability to provide care in acute situations.

A bridge over troubled water? - Exploring learning processes in a transition program with newly graduated nurses.

Successful preparation of newly graduated nurses (NGN) is a critical concern for the healthcare sector. This study explores the learning processes enacted in a transition program with NGNs implemented in hospitals in western Sweden. Group interviews with NGNs and ward managers were conducted, with the data analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The following themes were identified as the learning processes secured through the program: Recognizing the NGNs' role as novice practitioners, Emphasizing newly graduated nurses as learners, and Progressing towards a comprehensive nursing role. To support these learning processes, the program should provide opportunies to consolidate and reconcile NGNs' experiences as novices in healthcare environments where effective performance is crucial. If NGNs are supported in these ways, the program can make salient contributions to develop the knowledge bases of their occupational expertise.

Situational awareness during a full-scale exercise in an underground mine: A qualitative single-case study of the ambulance incident commander.

INTRODUCTION: Underground environments present challenges for providing and managing effective emergency care. Situational awareness (SA) has been suggested as a critical process to the management of care. AIM: This study aims to explore the process of SA in the tasks of an ambulance incident commander (AIC) during a fullscale underground mine exercise. METHODS: Data consisted of video recordings, audiotapes and fieldnotes; these were subjected to content analysis based on the categories from the Busby Theory of Situational Awareness in Multi-casualty Incidents. RESULTS: The results show that the underground mining environment presented the AIC with specific challenges for the SA process with respect to aspects such as situational information about the scene and the victims, as well as with making decisions for ambulance personnel so they could perform their work safely, and having a structured manner to counteract information overload. Both technical and non-technical aspects influenced the process. CONCLUSION: The AIC's situational awareness was largely built through coordinated communications and actions with collaborating actors. The results of this study can be used for further exploration of how to train and support people in medical leadership roles on aspects of SA in emergency care, as well as on how to evaluate educational outcomes through exercises.

Pharmacokinetics of budesonide and formoterol administered via a series of single-drug and combination inhalers: four open-label, randomized, crossover studies in healthy adults.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pharmacokinetics of budesonide and formoterol administered concomitantly in healthy adults. METHODS: Three single-dose, open-label crossover studies (n=28 each) were conducted (Study I: budesonide pMDI, formoterol DPI, budesonide pMDI+formoterol DPI; Study II: budesonide/formoterol pMDI, budesonide pMDI+formoterol DPI; Study III: budesonide/formoterol pMDI [three budesonide formulation strengths; constant formoterol]). Study IV (n=28) assessed steady state pharmacokinetics (budesonide/formoterol pMDI [two/four inhalations twice daily, 5-day treatment; four inhalations, single-dose]). RESULTS: Study I: no pharmacokinetic interactions were observed between budesonide and formoterol. Study II: AUC ratios were 97.9% (budesonide) and 82.2% (formoterol) (budesonide/formoterol pMDI versus budesonide pMDI+formoterol DPI). Study III: formoterol AUC was comparable across budesonide/formoterol pMDI formulation strengths; budesonide AUC increased with formulation strength in proportion to fine particle dose. Study IV: dose proportionality was demonstrated for budesonide (AUC ratio, 104.3%) and suggested for formoterol (AUC ratio, 117.6%) with budesonide/formoterol pMDI (steady state); budesonide and formoterol AUC was higher with repeated versus single-dose budesonide/formoterol pMDI (four inhalations). CONCLUSIONS: No pharmacokinetic interactions were observed between budesonide and formoterol. Budesonide dose variation in budesonide/formoterol pMDI did not affect formoterol exposure. Steady state budesonide/formoterol pMDI dose-doubling yielded proportional increases in budesonide and formoterol exposure.