Speaker
Description
Attracting and retaining nurses has become a particularly acute need. New graduates (NG) and Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) require a supportive strategy for integrating them into the highly specialized community nursing workforce while addressing their unique needs and diverse backgrounds. The need and benefit of a Transition to Practice Program (TPP) is well documented in the literature.
VON Canada undertook an 8-month long initiative on the development of a TPP which included an organizational gap analysis, literature reviews, partnerships with universities and consultation of subject matter experts. An evidence-based, four module program was created that supports increasing levels of autonomy and complexity of practice using a combination of didactic, independent, and experiential learning within variety of supports. The aim of the program is to guide NGs and IENs to integrate into the home care specialty while utilizing education, self-reflection and individualized supports to develop professional capacity, competence and independence. The TPP promotes new VON nurses to engage in professional relationships while building a supportive practice network within the context of community nursing. Furthermore, a Preceptorship Program was created to support TPP and equip VON mentors and preceptors with the right tools and skills in guiding NG and IENs in their integration into the home care setting.
A mix of NG and IENs have completed the program since the launch with positive feedback from participants and site leads. An evaluation matrix comprised of qualitative and quantitative data was completed analyzing participant’s completion and experience data. Furthermore, focus group discussion was held with nursing leads to discuss ease of implementation and further opportunities for improvement.
Symposium participants will learn about the TPP and Preceptorship Program development process, implementation strategies, and evaluation results with the aim to support nursing organizations in integrating New Graduate nurses and IENs into their community practice settings.
What RNAO BPG or tool/toolkit is this work related to:
Practice Education in Nursing
Author(s) Credentials and Title
Olesya Kochetkova, RN, BScN, MN
Professional Practice and Quality Consultant
Keywords
Transition to Practice, Internationally Educated Nurses(IENs), New Graduate Nurses, Integration, Inclusion
| Organization Name | VON Canada |
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