Evidence-based Practice Among Swedish Novice Nurses

Evidence-based Practice Among Novice Nurses
"A modest start, but a steady rise in research use: a longitudinal study of nurses during the first five years in professional life." by Lars Wallin, Petter Gustavsson, Anna Ehrenberg and Ann Rudman
Implementation Science 2012, 7:19 doi:10.1186/1748-5908-7-19,  Published: 19 March 2012.

Rationale for the study: "Newly graduated nurses are faced with a challenging work environment that may impede their ability to provide evidence-based practice. However, little is known about the trajectory of registered nurses' use of research during the first years of professional life. Thus, the aim of the current study was to prospectively examine the extent of nurses' use of research during the first five years after undergraduate education and specifically assess changes over time."

Conclusion: "There was a clear trend of increasing research use by nurses during their first five years of practice. The level of the initial ratings also indicated the level of research use in subsequent years. However, it took more than two years of professional development before this increase 'kicked in.' These findings support previous research claiming that newly graduated nurses go through a 'transition shock,' reducing their ability to use research findings in clinical work."
 
The title link takes you to the open source article published online in Implementation Science .

Insider's Guide to your First Year in Nursing

Medi-Smart has made this great new resource guide available online for free to help novice nurses survive their first year on the job! Click here to go directly to the guide [downloadable PDF version], or click on the post title to access Medi-Smart's Nursing Resources section. As you embark on this challenging new career, it's important to know you have resources to access and expert advice available, because at times you will feel overwhelmed.

Computer Game Helps Novice Nurses Adjust

"Your Future in Nursing" is an interactive video game of real-life nursing scenarios designed to help new nurses transition from the classroom to hospital rooms!

"One of the greatest challenges facing the nursing profession is helping new RN graduates acclimate to the real world of healthcare delivery and thus, reduce the turnover rate for entry-level nurses," said Diane Mancino (NSNA). "This new program will help develop new nurses' communication skills which are critical in their first work experience. It will foster the transition from the nursing student to the staff nurse, improve interaction with co-workers and interdisciplinary staff, and increase job satisfaction."

The new program was unveiled at the National Student Nurses' Association (NSNA) Convention [April 7-11, 2010 in Orlando]. Click on the post title to download the game from the Discover Nursing website.