Background: With the current nursing shortage there are fewer experienced nurses and more newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs) in the workplace. This shortage may be due in part to inconsistencies between role expectations learned in school and the practice environment. These inconsistencies may make it challenging to transition from nursing school into professional healthcare organizations. Nurses with certain person-level traits, including resilience and emotional intelligence, may be more likely to make a successful transition into practice. Findings may improve our understanding of what person-level traits are important for making the successful transition to the workforce. Purpose: The current study explored whether emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience influenced transition into professional roles. Theoretical Framework: Understanding how cultural shock and adaptation are challenging for many NLRNs is important. Duchscher transition theory provided an overview of how NLRNs engaged in the professional practice role as they are confronted with the realities of the work environment. Methods: A non-experimental research design with descriptive cross-sectional study is used to determine if EI and resilience have any effect on NLRNs transitioning into their professional roles. Results: With a sample size of 63, there is a direct positive linear relationship between resilience and global trait EI and its subscales for NLRNs. The correlation is significant with the exception of the EI subscale emotionality. Also there was no significance with NLRNs who transitioned in a critical care setting and those in other specialty care areas. Conclusions: There is a need for further exploration of this relationship with a larger sample size and the need to investigate person-level characteristics in NLRNs who successfully transition to their professional role.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Nurse residency programs (NRPs) have been identified as a means to promote transitioning of new nurses into the professional nursing role. Questions have arisen related to which elements within those programs are most meaningful to the development of new nurses. As the nursing shortage drives the need for quick transition and development of nurses to meet workforce needs, nursing must identify what is meaningful to nurses in their transition to practice. The purpose of this multi-site study was to explicate meaning from the experiences of newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs) who have just completed NRPs. The research question was “What factors have meaning for NLRNs who have experienced transition to practice in nurse residency programs in acute care settings?” Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from six NLRNs from three different NRPs after completion of their programs. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, themes and variations within those themes were derived from the descriptive narratives provided from participant interviews. Overarching themes identified were Relationships, Reflection, Active Learning, Resources and Organizational Systems. Findings have implications for practice and education as the nursing profession strives to find ways to transform nurses in an effective and efficient manner.

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