Volume 30 Issue 1 Article 2 3-1-2017 Exploring experienced nurses’ views, attitudes and expectations of graduate nurses in the operating theatre Michelle Freeling [email protected] Steve Parker [email protected] Katrina Breaden [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://www.journal.acorn.org.au/jpn Part of the Health Services Administration Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Perioperative, Operating Room and Surgical Nursing Commons, and the Surgery Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Freeling, Michelle; Parker, Steve; and Breaden, Katrina (2017) "Exploring experienced nurses’ views, attitudes and expectations of graduate nurses in the operating theatre," Journal of Perioperative Nursing: Vol. 30 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://doi.org/10.26550/2209-1092.1012 https://www.journal.acorn.org.au/jpn/vol30/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Journal of Perioperative Nursing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Perioperative Nursing by an authorized editor of Journal of Perioperative Nursing. Peer-reviewed article Author Michelle Freeling Exploring experienced BN (Hons), RN School of Nursing and Midwifery nurses’ views, attitudes and The Flinders University of South Australia Dr Steve Parker expectations of graduate nurses PhD, BEd, DipT (Nurse Ed), RN, RPN Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning) in the operating theatre School of Nursing and Midwifery The Flinders University of South Australia While the new graduate nurse journey has been well documented, little research exists from the perspective of the experienced Dr Katrina Breaden nurse, particularly in the perioperative environment. Barriers to PhD, MN, Grad Cert Ed (Higher Education), RN graduate nurse support need to be understood, as job satisfaction, Lecturer in Nursing nurse wellbeing and quality of patient care can be negatively School of Nursing and Midwifery affected. The Flinders University of South Australia Background clinical skills in a technically complex Corresponding author environment13, and nurses are rarely Throughout the history of nursing, Michelle Freeling offered meaningful perioperative the relationships between BN (Hons), RN training in undergraduate education experienced nurses and nurses School of Nursing and Midwifery programs14. These challenging undergoing training have been The Flinders University of South Australia characteristics of perioperative widely discussed. There is a nursing may cause new graduate plethora of research which examines nurses in the operating theatre to the graduate nurse journey and feel isolated and discouraged13. subsequent feelings and attitudes towards workplace integration1–7. Additionally, negative staff attitudes However, little research exists have been highlighted as one of regarding the view of the experienced the most powerful barriers to registered nurse concerning graduate graduate nurse support10, further nurses. Experienced registered compounding the challenges of the nurses significantly contribute to the perioperative graduate nurse journey. development of the graduate nurse, It has been noted that a negative and it is widely recognised that approach from senior nurses towards experienced registered nurses acting graduate nurses creates a barrier as preceptors is essential to graduate for optimal skill utilisation by the nurse development8–10. graduate15. Nursing culture has been perceived, both historically Perioperative nursing, defined as and contemporarily, as negative16–18 providing care for patients in the and many graduate nurses find it period prior, during and following challenging to become accepted in surgery or interventional procedures11, the culture of the unit19. The unique presents further challenges for challenges of perioperative nursing novices. The intrinsic stress of and the new graduate nurse journey, undertaking surgical procedures, coupled with the present climate of the absence of experienced staff, budgetary constraints in health care, the seclusion and constraint of the mean that investigating barriers in operating room and the high patient nursing is vital. acuity contribute to the challenging nature of the perioperative A literature review conducted as environment for graduate nurses12. part of this study revealed a lack of Perioperative nursing requires the research investigating experienced ability to perform an abundance of nurses’ views, attitudes and Journal of Perioperative Nursing in Australia Volume 30 Number 1 Autumn 2017 acorn.org.au 23 expectations of graduate nurses in nurses a voice and allow readers of hospital in Adelaide, South Australia. any setting19. A total of ten studies this study a glimpse of theatre life The nurses had five, nine and more were reviewed15,18,19,21–27 and four main that describes the nurses’ world than twenty years’ experience themes were identified: within this particular context. respectively. All participants had experience teaching and working with 1. experienced nurses believe Methods graduate nurses in the perioperative graduate nurses are inadequately setting. The in-depth method of prepared for practice Aim and design interviewing deemed necessary 2. graduates need to improve The aim of this study was to explore by a hermeneutic methodology practical nursing skills experienced nurses’ views about, allows meaning to be explored and attitudes towards and expectations 3. experienced nurses have negative details of participants’ real-world of graduate nurses in the operating attitudes towards graduates experiences to be considered. theatre. Data collection was 4. experienced nurses believe undertaken using face-to-face, Data analysis graduate nurses lack the unstructured, in-depth interviews. An The primary researcher immediately confidence necessary to practice interpretive hermeneutic approach transcribed verbatim each interview competently. was used, allowing interpretation of after it occurred. The researcher This literature review demonstrated the data and eliciting meaning from listened to the recorded interview a significant lack of research on the participants’ stories. several times while reading the transcript. Central concerns, this topic and a need for further Settings and participants investigation. To enable graduates important themes or meanings to fulfil their potential, the attitudes, Participants were recruited from the unfolded for particular participants beliefs and expectations of perioperative department of a busy and were highlighted during this 28 experienced registered nurses and metropolitan teaching hospital. A step by the researcher . The graduate nurses must be explored convenience sample of nurses with researcher read and analysed the with regards to graduate nurses more than three years’ experience transcript again, this time with the entering the workforce. Only then in the operating theatre who were intention of deriving themes from can these attitudes and feelings currently working or had previously the data. Summaries of central be addressed and methods put in worked directly with graduate themes were developed based on the place to facilitate good relationships nurses were invited to participate. researchers’ initial interpretations. between graduate nurses and These criteria ensured participants During this process, the transcripts experienced registered nurses. This were experienced and competent were simultaneously examined with understanding may ultimately allow perioperative nurses who were the emerging interpretation. NVivo graduate nurses to utilise their full capable of reflecting on their overall software was used to manage and range of skills, practice confidently views about, attitudes towards and code the data. and comfortably and become a expectations of graduate nurses. Findings and discussion valuable part of the health care team. Data collection Application of the data analysis The above considerations culminated Ethics approval was given by the in the research question: what are techniques applied to the interview appropriate Human Research Ethics data resulted in six predominant experienced nurses’ views, attitudes Committee (506.14) and the site- and expectations of graduate nurses themes, and concepts within these specific ethics committee. Informed themes (Table 1). Some of the issues in the operating theatre? The consent was gained before the objective of this research is to unlock that arose are briefly discussed interviews. Participants consisted below; quotations (using participant the experiences and opinions of of a convenience sample of three experienced operating theatre nurses numbers to identify each) are used perioperative nurses and were to illustrate the findings. regarding graduate nurses and, in recruited for a 45-minute, in-depth doing so, explore the relationship interview with the aim of exploring The importance of mentoring between experienced and graduate their views about, attitudes towards In this study, mentoring emerged as nurses as well as revealing what and expectations of graduate nurses experienced operating theatre nurses a significant subconcept within the in the operating theatre of a large concept of education and theme of underwent as graduate nurses. This metropolitan tertiary teaching research question aims to give people. Participants described their 24 Journal of Perioperative Nursing in Australia Volume 30 Number 1 Autumn 2017 acorn.org.au Themes challenge