Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / New nurses report feeling unprepared, incompetent, and highly stressed, contributing to first-year turnover rates of 25% in some healthcare organizations. Turnover, combined with a preparation-practice gap, has alerted advocacy organizations and researchers to recommend the development of nurse residency programs. Nurse residency programs are a post-graduate training period where new nurses receive enhanced clinical education in the healthcare setting. While highly variable in structure and attributes, programs usually include educational sessions, clinical immersion, and role socialization opportunities. Evidence supports that new nurses participating in nurse residency programs experience positive outcomes, including increased confidence, competence, and decreased turnover rates. Despite this, only half of the hospitals nationwide have implemented a program with most designed around a single health system mission. This dissertation study aimed to identify the attributes of nurse residency programs influencing the newly licensed registered nurse. An integrative review of the literature and evolutionary concept analysis was completed to examine the state of the science of nurse residency programs. Findings revealed a lack of conceptual and theoretical design and variability among program structures, creating a gap in the literature about the attributes of programs that are most influencing new nurses. Based on the literature's noted gaps, a qualitative description study was conducted. Purposive sampling strategies were used to recruit nurses who recently completed varied program models across the United States. New nurses reported the attributes of programs and described how those positively and negatively influenced the transition to practice experience. The overarching themes revealed that new nurses need a cadre of highly supportive individuals across the clinical and educational continuum who espouse astute interpersonal and communication skills. New nurses desire engaging activities with intra and interprofessional team members for clinical skill application, knowledge advancement, and role socialization. New nurses need the structure of meetings at times and in a sequence conducive to learning; and for preceptorship experiences to be facilitated by trained preceptors, on a unit, and of a length that supports confidence for autonomous practice. Future research will include the development and testing of an evaluation tool based on the findings from this study.

A major focus in nursing education is on the judgement of clinical performance, and it is a complex process due to the diverse nature of nursing practice. Difficulties in the development of valid and reliable assessment measures in nursing competency continue to pose a challenge in nursing education. A holistic approach in the assessment of competency comprises knowledge, skills and professional attitudes, wherein the notion of competency incorporates professional judgement and management skills in the clinical situation. Therefore, the thesis aims to develop a holistic clinical assessment tool with a reasonable level of validity and reliability to meet the needs of clinical education. The conceptual framework underlying this research is formed by establishing a theoretical connection between the practice of learning, and of pedagogy and assessment. This research consists of five studies. In Study I, a systematic review was conducted to explore the current assessment practices and tools for nursing undergraduates. In Studies II, III and IV, a qualitative approach with focus group discussions was adopted to explore the views of final-year undergraduate nursing students, preceptors, clinical nurse leaders and academics on the clinical assessment. Based on the multiple perspectives, it therefore addresses concerns in clinical assessment. In Study V, a holistic clinical assessment tool was developed, for which a psychometric testing was conducted. The systematic review indicated that limited studies adequately evaluate the psychometric properties of the assessment instrument. The qualitative studies have raised an awareness of professional and educational issues in relation to clinical assessment. Workload, time, availability of resources, adequate preparation of preceptors, and availability of valid and reliable clinical assessment tools were deemed to influence the quality of students’ clinical learning and assessment. In addition, the presence of support systems and formal educational programs for preceptors influenced their preparation and self-confidence. Nursing leaderships in hospitals and educational institutions have a joint responsibility in shaping the holistic clinical learning environment and making holistic clinical assessment for students. The involvement of all stakeholders in the development of a valid and reliable assessment tool for clinical competency is also essential to the process. The Holistic Clinical Assessment Tool (HCAT) was developed by the author based on the systematic review, qualitative findings and the core competencies of registered nurse from the professional nursing boards. The HCAT consists of 4 domains and 36 assessment items. Furthermore, testing of the psychometric properties indicated that the HCAT has satisfactory content validity, construct validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. In conclusion, the HCAT is meritorious in that it carries the potential to be used as a valid measure to evaluate clinical competency in nursing students, and provide specific and ongoing feedback to enhance the students’ holistic clinical learning experience. The HCAT not only functions as a tool for self-reflection for the students, but also guides the preceptors in clinical teaching and assessment. In addition, the HCAT can be used for peer-assessment and feedback. It is imperative that the clinical and academic institutions establish various levels of ongoing support for both students and preceptors in the process of clinical assessment.

La transition du milieu académique au milieu clinique vécue difficilement par les infirmières nouvellement diplômées intégrées sur les unités de soins intensifs a été maintes fois documentée. La pratique professionnelle autonome est, notamment, une des difficultés partagées par les infirmières nouvellement diplômées intégrées sur ces unités. Cette étude a pour but d’explorer les perceptions d’infirmières nouvellement diplômées et de préceptrices quant au développement de l’autonomie professionnelle des infirmières nouvellement diplômées dans un contexte d’intégration, ayant une structure de programme de résidence infirmier, sur une unité de soins intensifs. Les programmes de résidence infirmiers sont des programmes d’intégration développés pour faciliter les expériences de transition des infirmières nouvellement diplômées. Dans ces programmes, le profil de compétences cliniques qui permet d’évaluer le développement des compétences peut se baser principalement sur l’autonomie des infirmières nouvellement diplômées. Rares sont les études sur le développement de l’autonomie professionnelle des infirmières nouvellement diplômées. Comme cadre conceptuel, un modèle prenant appui à la fois sur le modèle des niveaux de développement de la compétence infirmière de Benner (1982), sur l’approche d’évaluation des compétences de Tardif (2006) et sur la définition de l’autonomie professionnelle telle que suggérée par Létourneau (2017) est proposé. Pour la réalisation de cette étude qualitative exploratoire descriptive, des entretiens individuels semi-structurés ont permis de collecter les données auprès d’infirmières nouvellement diplômées (n=6) alors que des préceptrices (n=4) ont partagé leurs perceptions au cours de groupes de discussion. L’analyse de contenu de Van der Maren (1996) a été utilisée pour l’analyse des données. Les résultats de cette étude réalisée dans un contexte de soins critiques portent sur le début de carrière difficile des infirmières nouvellement diplômées sur les unités de soins intensifs, une définition de l’autonomie professionnelle et les facteurs influençant le développement de l’autonomie professionnelle des infirmières nouvellement diplômées. Les facteurs influençant le développement de l’autonomie professionnelle des infirmières nouvellement diplômées et la définition de l’autonomie professionnelle ont été mis en relation dans une carte conceptuelle schématisant le concept à l’étude. En regard de ces résultats, des retombées sont proposées pour la pratique, la recherche, la formation et la gestion en sciences infirmières. / The barriers in transition-to-practice for newly graduated nurses on intensive care units has been well documented. Independent professional practice is, in particular, one of the barriers shared by newly graduated nurses integrating an intensive care unit. This research aims to explore the perceptions of newly graduated nurses and preceptors regarding the professional autonomy development of the newly graduated nurses in a nursing residency program on intensive care units. Nursing residency programs were developed in order to facilitate transition-to-practice of newly graduated nurses. In these programs, the evaluation that assesses clinical competence development can be primarily based on the newly graduated nurse’s autonomy. However, few studies focus on the development of professional autonomy of newly graduated nurses. As study framework, a model that includes Benner's stages of clinical competence (1982), Tardif's competency assessment approach (2006) and a definition of professional autonomy as suggested by Létourneau (2017) is proposed. By conducting a descriptive exploratory study, semi-structured individual interviews collected the data from newly graduated nurses (n=6), while preceptors (n= 4) shared their perceptions during focus groups. Content analysis by Van der Maren (1996) was used for data analysis. The results include the barriers encountered in the early career of the newly graduated nurses in critical care setting, a definition of professional autonomy and the influences of the newly graduated nurses’ professional autonomy development. The influences of the newly graduated nurses’ professional autonomy development and the definition of professional autonomy have been linked in a concept map. Considering these findings, implications for practice, research, education and management in nursing were made.

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