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Nursing first year of practice, past, present and future: documenting the journey in New Zealand
Author(s) -
ADLAM KERRYANN,
DOTCHIN MARGARET,
HAYWARD SUE
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2008.00932.x
Subject(s) - workforce , apprenticeship , nursing , nurse education , work (physics) , medicine , medical education , psychology , political science , mechanical engineering , philosophy , linguistics , law , engineering
Aim Documenting the journey of graduate nurse support in New Zealand from local programmes to a nationally consistent framework. Background Education of nurses in New Zealand has changed over the decades, from apprenticeship‐style hospital‐based training to academically prepared registered nurses. Newly graduated nurses require time to become confident within the clinical setting. To achieve this, a well‐supported graduate nurse programme is required. Evaluation The authors utilized historical reviews of nursing education within New Zealand and current work being undertaken by a national working party to implement a nationally consistent graduate nurse programme. Key issues Disparity between locally delivered graduate programmes. Lack of funding to provide a well‐structured programme and the impact on the recruitment and retention of new nurses. Conclusions It was identified that there was a strong need to ensure graduate nurse programmes were consistent across New Zealand in order to support graduate nurses and retain them in the workforce. Implications for nursing management The first year of practice remains a challenging transition time with a need for a well‐structured and supported programme. Key needs include learning activities grounded in practice experience, robust programme coordination, skilled clinical educators, preceptors, and a structured learning framework.