The impact of a nurse externship program on the transition process from graduate to registered nurse: Part II. Qualitative findings.

Full Abstract

This article reports the qualitative findings from a focus group interview conducted with six currently registered nurses who participated in a summer nurse externship program. It is Part II of a three-part study that examined the influence of nurse externship programs on the transition process from graduate to professional nurse. The focus group explored the perceptions of former nurses about the impact of the externship program on their transition into the professional nurse role. In the role of nurse externs, individuals were able to view, experience, and, consequently, come to understand the culture of nursing in an acute healthcare system without being full-fledged members of it. Three themes induced from the analysis of the findings were as follows: (1) being a part of the real scene; (2) figuring out the environment; and (3) gaining awareness and becoming frightened.

Author information

Author/s: Cantrell, Mary Ann (MA); Browne, Anne Marie (AM);

Affiliation: College of Nursing, Villanova University, PA 19085, USA. mary.ann.Cantrell(-atsign-)villanova.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Evaluation Studies; Journal Article

Journal: Journal for nurses in staff development : JNSD : official journal of the National Nursing Staff Development Organization (J Nurses Staff Dev), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2005 Nov-Dec; vol 21 (issue 6) : pp 249-56; quiz 257-8

Dates: Created 2005/12/06; Completed 2006/03/02;

PMID: 16331078, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

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