Registered Nurses’ experiences of psychological well‐being and ill‐being in their first year of practice: A qualitative meta‐synthesis

• Published in: Journal of advanced nursing Vol. 77; no. 3; pp. 1172 - 1187
• Main Authors: Jarden, Rebecca J., Jarden, Aaron, Weiland, Tracey J., Taylor, Glenn, Brockenshire, Naomi, Gerdtz, Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2021
• Subjects: Anxiety; depressed mood; Emotions; experiences; First year; Fulfilment; graduate; Health care; Job satisfaction; Medical literature; Mental health; Negative experiences; New employees; nurse; Nurses; Nursing; Organizational policy; Perceptions; Personal development; Professional development; qualitative meta‐synthesis; stress; Systematic review; Teams; transition; Translation; well‐being; Workforce; anxiety; stress; well-being; depressed mood; qualitative meta-synthesis; graduate; mental health; nurse; experiences; transition
• ISSN: 0309-2402; 1365-2648
• DOI: 10.1111/jan.14667

Aim To synthesize Registered Nurses’ self‐reported perceptions and experiences of psychological well‐being and ill‐being during their first year of practice. Design Qualitative meta‐synthesis. Data sources Databases included Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Excerpta Medica database, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online and Psychological Information. Qualitative studies were considered for inclusion if published in English, from 2009–2019, reporting primary data analysis including psychological well‐being and ill‐being experiences of graduate nurses in first year of practice. Review methods Qualitative studies were systematically identified and critically appraised. A meta‐synthesis was applied using an open card sort technique to organize empirical data into a matrix of graduate nurses’ voices of psychological well‐being and ill‐being. Results Twenty‐two studies were included. Analysis revealed patterns of positive experiences and emotions. These included feeling valued and part of the team and learning from and feeling supported by other nurses. Negative experiences and emotions such as feeling overwhelmed, stressed, alone and inadequately prepared were also identified. Conclusion Graduate nurses’ perceptions and experiences of their psychological well‐being and ill‐being revealed both positive and negative dimensions during this transition period. Specific examples of strategies that may promote transition nurses’ well‐being and prevent ill‐being were identified such as social connection and support. Impact Increasing the numbers of new nursing graduates world‐wide is required to strengthen health systems. Developing strategies to retain these graduates in the workforce is paramount. This review found some graduate nurses experience the transition period as a time of personal growth and fulfilment, for others this period was a stressor. These findings were illustrated in a model of ‘ways to well‐being’. The potential for knowledge translation of this model extends from graduate nurses as individuals, to nurse entry to practice programs and graduate nurse programs, to organizational policy targeting future health workforce. Systematic review registration number CRD42020148812. 摘要 目的 概述注册护士实习第一年对心理健康和不良状态的自我报告认知和体验。 设计 定性综合集成。 数据来源 数据库包括护理学及医疗相关文献累计索引、ExcerptaMedica数据库、联机医学文献分析与检索系统和心理信息。如果定性研究是2009年—2019年以英文形式发表且报告了包括毕业护士第一年的心理健康和不良状态体验的主要数据分析, 则考虑纳入。 评估方法 对定性研究进行了系统化识别和严格评估。采用开放式卡片分类技术进行综合集成, 将实证数据整理成毕业护士心理健康和不良情绪矩阵。 结果 纳入了22项研究。分析显示了积极体验和情绪的模式。这些体验和情绪包括感觉自己受到重视, 是团队的一部分, 向其他护士学习并感觉得到了他们的支持。还发现了一些消极体验和情绪,如感到不知所措、紧张、孤独和准备不足。 结论 毕业护士对其心理健康和不良状态的认知和体验表明, 在这一过渡时期, 他们的心理健康和不良状态既有积极的一面, 也有消极的一面。识别了可能促进过渡期护士心理健康和预防不良情绪的策略的具体例子, 如社会联系和支持。 影响 为了加强卫生系统, 需要在全球范围内增加护理专业毕业生人数。制定策略以留住毕业护士, 这点至关重要。本次评估发现, 一些毕业护士将过渡期视为个人成长和成就期, 而对其他毕业护士来说, 过渡期则是一种压力。可采用“心理健康模式”模型对这些研究结果进行阐释。此类模型的知识转化潜力从作为个体的毕业护士, 到护士进入实习项目和毕业护士项目, 再到针对未来卫生工作者的组织政策。 系统审查登记号 CRD42020148812.