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Discovering the Experiences of New Registered Nurses in

establishing their Professional Identity in Hospital Settings

I. Introduction
The nation faces increase graduates of nursing. Many of which
has the ambition to work abroad and serve our own country for quite
sometime. Most of them also did local working as training ground
then after 1 or 2 years will opted to try their opportunities in different
part of the world. Before having their training, there’s always
memorable start, from the time they entered a certain facility to apply
for the position then to stage of working with colleagues. Many
attitudes had been observed such as trembling, frightened, high level
of anxiety and many others. The question is how an individual at one
time is the same individual at another time in a hospital setting. In the
event of the increase number of graduates there’s also a potentially
dangerous nursing shortage. According to Groom (2003), registered
nurse’s average age is 47 years. This, coupled with the number of
nurses leaving the profession because they are dissatisfied, is
creating a crisis. Although staff shortages have occurred in health
care throughout history, experts believe the developing nursing
shortage is uniquely serious due to a supply shortage and a demand
increase. Issues involved include steep population growth in several
states, a diminished pipeline of new nursing students, an aging work
force, a Baby Boomer bubble that require intense health care
services just as the majority of nurses retire, and broadening health
care job opportunities. (Sigma Theta Tau International, 2001)
Current nursing research supports a disparity between the
idealism and professionalism of the educational process and
professionalism and the actualization of the practice environment,
which leads to nurses leaving the profession. Saarman, Freitas,
Rapps, and Riegel (2008) concluded that the further research is
needed to determine whether nursing eduacational programs have
significant influence on professional socialization when compared
with the workplace. Additional knowledge could help in understanding
this gap and contribute increased retention in nursing. Saarman et.al.
concluded that quantitative research would be useful to examine
professional nurse characteristics. Such an approach would allow
data to define the entity rather than to test a preconceived definition.
The development of professional of professional identity is an
importatnt process in nursing profession (Secrest, Norwood &
Keatley, 2003). Historically nurses have found difficulty in defining
nursing and distinguishing it from other health care disciplines.
According to Secrest et. al., no literature has been found describing
what being a nurse means to an individual.
According from Patricia Benner, Novice to Expert’s theory, in
the acquisition and development of a skill, a student passes through
five levels of proficiency: novice, advanced beginner, competent,
proficient, and expert. These different levels reflect changes in three
general aspects of skilled performance: (1) One is a movement from
reliance on abstract principles to the use of past concrete experience
as paradigms. (2) The second is a change in the learner's perception
of the demand situation, in which the situation is seen less and less
as a compilation of equally relevant bits, and more and more as a
complete whole in which only certain parts are relevant. (3) The third
is a passage from detached observation to involved performer. The
performer no longer stands outside the situation but is now engaged
in the situation.
Nursing is a kind of occupation delivering services to
individuals, families, and societies of all conditions. High level job
satisfaction is important for nurses in order to their services delivery
quality be high as well. In the literature, it is declared that in case
individuals have high work satisfaction, behaviors such as being
active at work, pursuing new goals and establishing good
relationships are observed. On the other hand, in case of being
unsatisfied , problems may arise such as slowing down the work
pace, being late for work or not attending at work, resigning of work,
starting to complain, being critical (Asti and Pektekin, 1194; Kacel et.
al., 2005; Rambuer et. al.,2005; Fako-Thabo, 2000)

II. Analysis and Discussion of Concept in Relation to Nursing


Several critical points emerged from the data in joining the
profession of nursing. Various passage points were experienced by
new nurses as they negotiated joining the nursing profession. Within
all of these passages, relationships were identified as paramount to a
successful transition. Themes of responsibility, continued learning,
and perfection were pervasive during all passages and were noted by
newly graduate nurses as being integral components of professional
identity.
In this study, I have been through this experience like most of
our newly nurse did. Finding a niche, a place where individuals’
values and skills successfully fit with the people with whom they work
and the environment within which they practice. It also means
negotiating the transition from school to work. Developing a sense of
what it means to be a nurse, what the position requires, and how
nursing compares to other health care professions is involved in this
transition. Nurses in this study identified the importance of “fitting in”.
Fitting in involved a sense of family, being happy, feeling professional,
delivering quality care to patients and families, and feeling that their
capabilities or skills were compatible with those required in the
practice.
All nurses entering in a certain facility or institution completed
an orientation process when they began working in their particular
area. Some felt it was a good experience, whereas others have
negative feelings. A critical factor that determined the orientation’s
success was the relationship nurses had with their preceptor.
Participants often felt that their preceptor was difficult to work with.
Preceptors were mostly described as, “testing your authority to see if
you will back down. There is a lot of testing that goes on to see if you
really know what you are doing.” Nurses also experienced that their
preceptor leaving them alone in situations in which they did not feel
comfortable. Nurses described differences in orientation based on
which shift was worked. “good” preceptors were identified; however
they were far outnumbered by “bad’ preceptors. Hence, a “payback”
system in which nurses tend to repeat the bad experiences they had
as new graduates when they become preceptors
Nurses felt more comfortable with longer orientations and
observation from attentive preceptors. The importance of a good
orientation process was stressed as a solid foundation for entering
the profession throughout the data. When orientation process were
not successfully negotiated, voluntary or involuntary termination,
feelings of anger and failure resulted. Positive factors identified
included helpful and informative preceptors, teamwork, life
experiences, and time. Lack of support from the system and the
individual preceptors were negative factors frequently encountered.
Throughout the data collection and analysis, the researcher
wrote data discussing her reactions, impressions and ideas about
codes and possible themes so that the context of interactions would
remain intact. Both during and after collection of information, the
researcher analyzed the data inductively and identified the themes
that helped organize data and lead to subsequent collection.

III. Synthesis and Conclusion

Passing the
Licensure
Examination

Job
Application

Orientation Finding a Moving on


Niche

Satisfied Unsatisfied Fitting in Increasing Skills

Conceptual Framework of New Nurses and Professional Identity


The significance of this study rests in situational influences on
the construction of identity, the need for balance and support in the
practice environment, passage points in the first 3 years of practice,
and the organizational need to support nursing empowerment and
voice.

IV. Bibliography
Denise Depoliti, “Exploring How New Registered Nurses Construct Professional
Identity in Hospital Settings”, The Journal of Continuing Educationin Nursing,
June 2008, p. 255

Zehra Golbasi, “Relationships between coping strategies, individual


characteristics and job satisfaction in a sample of hospital nurses: Cross-
sectional questionnaire survey”, Writing for International Publication, January
2009, p. 105-111

Guldal Guleryuz, “The mediating effect of job satisfaction between emotional


intelligence and organizational commitment of nurses: A questionnaire survey”
Writing for International Publication, January 2009, p. 121-130

Benner, P. (1984). “From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical


nursing practice” Menlo Park: Addison-Wesley, pp. 13-34.
Siliman University
Dumaguete City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement

A Concept paper:
Discovering the Experiences of
New Registered Nurses in
Establishing their Professional Identity
in Hospital Settings

Prepared to:
Prof. Abalos

Prepared by:
Niña Alma M. Bianson

February 2009

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