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New nurse graduates and rapidly changing clinical situations: the role of expert critical care nurse mentors

  • Julie Kennedy EMAIL logo , Kim M. Astroth , Wendy M. Woith , Nancy L. Novotny and Sheryl H. Jenkins
Published/Copyright: September 27, 2021

Abstract

Objectives

New nurse graduates may be prone to instances of failure to rescue. Mentoring programs may be an opportunity to assist them with clinical decision making in situations of patient decline. We explored the experiences of new nurse graduates and expert nurses after participation in a mentoring program.

Methods

In this exploratory-descriptive study, five seasoned nurses were paired with five new nurse graduates. After four months, the new nurse graduates were interviewed, and the expert nurses participated in a focus group.

Results

Themes emerged for the new nurse graduates: 1) importance of the charge nurse, 2) differences in practice areas, and 3) supportive healthcare teams. The focus group revealed three themes: 1) remembering what it was like, 2) desiring to help, and 3) having confidence in their preparation as mentors.

Conclusions

New nurse graduates relied on charge nurses for assistance. Therefore, it is imperative that charge nurses receive adequate support.


Corresponding author: Julie Kennedy, Millikin University, 1184 W Main Street, Decatur, IL, 62522, USA, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: Small grant $240.00 from the XiPi Chapter of Sigma.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  5. Ethical approval: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.

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Received: 2020-12-29
Accepted: 2021-09-14
Published Online: 2021-09-27

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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