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Lived experiences of new nurse graduates in critical access hospitals
Author(s) -
Hoppe Lesa,
Clukey Lory
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
nursing forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.618
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1744-6198
pISSN - 0029-6473
DOI - 10.1111/nuf.12530
Subject(s) - pride , nursing , identity (music) , lived experience , work (physics) , psychology , nurse education , medicine , medical education , political science , mechanical engineering , physics , acoustics , psychoanalysis , law , engineering
Background Critical access hospitals (CAHs) may have less support for new hires than larger institutions, and are at risk for recruitment and retention issues. Purpose The purpose of this descriptive, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of new nurse graduates in the first year of employment in CAHs. Methods Thirteen first‐year critical access hospital nurses were interviewed, representing 3 midwestern states. Results Six themes were identified using Colaizzi's (1978) seven‐step process for analysis: (1) always a professional, (2) personal connections, (3) pride in work and community, (4) always on your toes, (5) everyone works as a team, and (6) essential preparation experiences. Conclusions Most study participants identified “always a professional” as a major part of their identity as nurses and within the community. This study could assist leaders in both nursing education and rural hospital settings to better understand the needs of new nurses as they launch their nursing careers in critical access hospitals.