Congress Abstracts 2006

65

REVITALIZING AN APPROACH TO SUPPORTING NEW GRADUATES: BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND COMFORT. Mary Reardon, RN, MS, CNAA, OCN^®, and Sheila Ferrall, RN, MS, AOCN^®, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL.

Transitioning from the role of student to that of professional nurse is exciting, yet challenging, even under the best circumstances. Transitioning from student nurse directly into a specialty, such as oncology, adds another layer of complexity to the experience. We have always acknowledged the importance of helping recent graduates transition into their new roles. To better compliment our 3-month long preceptorship, we recognized the need to revitalize the overall program. Recent graduates need support beyond that an experienced preceptor can offer, and we endeavored to create a program to sustain them through this transition.

The purpose of this program is to assist in the role transition from nursing student to beginning oncology nurse at an NCI-Comprehensive Cancer Center.

To provide more timely intervention for new nurses, the decision was made to increase the frequency of the didactic program from once to twice yearly. The didactic program was lengthened to two full days, with monthly lunchtime meetings for an additional time period thereafter. Clinical nurse specialists, nurse mangers and past participants identified appropriate topics. The agenda included an eclectic group of presentations ranging from those designed specifically to aid in role issues such as reality shock and stress management, to professional topics like shared-governance, to oncology focused content, such as venous access devices and end-of-life communication. Presenters included experienced staff nurses as well as our Chief Nursing Officer. Emphasis was placed on developing resources and sharing individual experiences.

The didactic program was evaluated using a Likert-type scale of 1-5 with 1 representing poor and 5 excellent. Overall scores were 4.5 and 5 for respective days. Comments included statements like "has built my confidence as a new nurse and helped me relax knowing feelings are normal" and "I'm so grateful for this course, it really helped me."

With increasing demand for nurses, slow growth in supply, and aging of the workforce, protecting the investment in new nurses is paramount for healthcare institutions. Nurturing new graduates helps to ensure a steady supply of oncology nurses. Programs, such as the one described, also serve to foster a connectedness with other new nurses.