Challenges faced by Singapore operating room (OR) nurses with current induction programmes (IPs) for newly-joined nurses (NJNs) lack acknowledgements. Trying to compress the knowledge and skills of perioperative nursing into NJNs OR IPs within a few weeks was not feasible as such knowledge and skills require months and years of training to be attained and proficient. Thus, these challenges has impacted OR NJNs’ ability to establish the standard of care provided to patients according to standards set by the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB). Acting on what was best known through previous and current knowledge and correcting based on the hospitals’ policies might be traumatising to new professional nurses. It might result in patient harm and unintended industrial-related stress. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges that Singapore OR NJNs faced with their IPs that later impacted them in their job roles. Benner’s ‘From Novice to Expert’ theory and Warren and Mills’s ‘Conceptual Model of Nursing Motivation’ was used to guide the exploration of the research topic.
The explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted to bridge the findings of the mixed-methods study, which involved a cohort study design for the quantitative phase and a phenomenology study design for the qualitative phase. 91 NJNs were recruited for the quantitative study and 8 NJNs for the qualitative study to explore the central question of impacts faced by Singapore’s NJNs with their OR nursing IP received. Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis was utilised to transcribe the verbatim data for the qualitative study, and IBM SPSS Version 28.0.1.1 to analyse the quantitative data.
Findings from both studies were compared to provide research triangulation and robustness of conclusions aided in avoiding the enmesh of affirmation bias by applying more than one element for comparison. The study has outlined challenges NJNs face that have impacted their ability to function in their job roles. Hence, it brought to light nursing policymakers, administrators and academic solutions to allow them to find a resolution in a collaborative effort to improve current OR nursing IPs and includes more OR nursing content in nursing school.