Abstract
INTRODUCTION: A successful nursing career depends on the senior professional colleagues’ assistance for new graduates to master professional skills during internship programme. This study examined the working relationships between new graduates and senior nurses; level of guidance with mastering practical skills and socialization into the hospital roles. Three null hypotheses were formulated for statistical analyses to provide empirical evidence.
METHOD: This involved descriptive design and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The target population were 52 nurses that were currently on internship programme in the hospital and all of them were included as sample for the inferential study while six outspoken among them were selected through purposive sampling for the FGD. Structured questionnaire with Content Validity Index .86 and test-retest reliability of .82 served as instrument for quantitative data and a written guide to collect data for FGD. Descriptive data and hypotheses were analysed using percentages and one sample t-test respectively with decision rule taken at .05 level of significance.
RESULTS: From 52 graduate nurses sampled, 50 (96%) provided data used for analyses. About 50.6% reported cordial relationship; 41.3% approved of the professional guidance received and 53.2% agreed that socialization into hospital roles was given to them by the senior colleagues. The working relationships between new graduate nurses and senior colleagues was statistically and significantly cordial with total mean greater than the expected (t=10.794; p=000<.05); guidance on practical nursing skills they receive was significantly higher than expected mean level (t=8.518; p=.000<.05) and socialization into hospital roles was statistically and significantly higher than average (4.477 ≤ t ≤ 23.738; p=.000<.05). Thematic analyses of FGD revealed three main themes: fair collaborative work relationships; fair Mentor-Mentee relationships and learners seeking for improved information sharing.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Training of the preceptors should be more intensive and extended to include other nursing staff who work in the hospital and participate in assisting the new graduate nurses during the period of internship so as to ensure their full transition as hospital staff. Similar study is required to involve nurse preceptors and senior nurses who mentor the students to assess the factors that may limit effective and efficient mentoring of the new graduate nurses on internship programme.
Notes
Reference list included in attached poster file.
Sigma Membership
Alpha Beta Gamma
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Mentoring and Coaching, Transition to Practice, Onboarding, Precepting, New Graduate Nurses, Nigeria
Recommended Citation
Akpabio, Idongesit; Akpabio, Felicia Sam; Udoh, Eno; and Nkere, Effioanwan, "Evaluation of Learning Experiences of New Graduate Nurses at a Teaching Hospital in Nigeria" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 32.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/32
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-24
Evaluation of Learning Experiences of New Graduate Nurses at a Teaching Hospital in Nigeria
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
INTRODUCTION: A successful nursing career depends on the senior professional colleagues’ assistance for new graduates to master professional skills during internship programme. This study examined the working relationships between new graduates and senior nurses; level of guidance with mastering practical skills and socialization into the hospital roles. Three null hypotheses were formulated for statistical analyses to provide empirical evidence.
METHOD: This involved descriptive design and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The target population were 52 nurses that were currently on internship programme in the hospital and all of them were included as sample for the inferential study while six outspoken among them were selected through purposive sampling for the FGD. Structured questionnaire with Content Validity Index .86 and test-retest reliability of .82 served as instrument for quantitative data and a written guide to collect data for FGD. Descriptive data and hypotheses were analysed using percentages and one sample t-test respectively with decision rule taken at .05 level of significance.
RESULTS: From 52 graduate nurses sampled, 50 (96%) provided data used for analyses. About 50.6% reported cordial relationship; 41.3% approved of the professional guidance received and 53.2% agreed that socialization into hospital roles was given to them by the senior colleagues. The working relationships between new graduate nurses and senior colleagues was statistically and significantly cordial with total mean greater than the expected (t=10.794; p=000<.05); guidance on practical nursing skills they receive was significantly higher than expected mean level (t=8.518; p=.000<.05) and socialization into hospital roles was statistically and significantly higher than average (4.477 ≤ t ≤ 23.738; p=.000<.05). Thematic analyses of FGD revealed three main themes: fair collaborative work relationships; fair Mentor-Mentee relationships and learners seeking for improved information sharing.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Training of the preceptors should be more intensive and extended to include other nursing staff who work in the hospital and participate in assisting the new graduate nurses during the period of internship so as to ensure their full transition as hospital staff. Similar study is required to involve nurse preceptors and senior nurses who mentor the students to assess the factors that may limit effective and efficient mentoring of the new graduate nurses on internship programme.
Description
SUMMARY: The learning experiences of new graduates are fairly good probably due to engagement of preceptors as mentors in the institution and their training to provide guidance to the new graduates. However, much room exist for improvement on the negative responses obtained especially on professional guidance. Recommendations included more intensive training of preceptors and senior nurses who serve as their mentors; and further study on factors hindering effective and efficient mentorship.