Order Number |
33454999331 |
Type of Project |
ESSAY |
Writer Level |
PHD VERIFIED |
Format |
APA |
Academic Sources |
10 |
Page Count |
3-12 PAGES |
St. Thomas University
NUR-421-AP3
Professor Price
10/21/2021
Acculturation Experience
Due to the nature of the nursing profession, most nurses find the work environment very stressful and far from what they expected when they enrolled to study as nurses. Nurses require a lot of support to transition from their school environment and adapt to the workplace’s demanding environment. Acculturation is very important as it allows the new graduate nurses to slowly internalize the new norms and values of a professional culture. However, different people have different acculturation experiences; some easily adapt while others have the worst experience in adapting and, therefore, even resign from their jobs.
New graduate nurses are faced with a lot of challenges. My experience during this transition from a student to a professional nurse was not as easy as it took me some time to fully adapt to the new environment and new roles. As much as I was happy to be finally doing what I wanted to do, there was the aspect of fear and anxiety. Every other nurse faces the main challenge of managing to bring the theory learned into real practice (Walton et al., 2018). This can be stressful and calls for good support to pull through. Time management was the main challenge that I was faced with. As a new nurse, the duties were so overwhelming and called for proper management of time.
Dealing with many patients who have different needs and expectations and come from different cultural backgrounds was also a challenge. Even though I was able to communicate well with nurses, the expectations were so overwhelming. Working collaboratively with other team members was also a challenge because of was uncertain about so many things. Sometimes it feels like the knowledge acquired in school is not enough; decision-making also became a problem. Also, events that came unexpectedly were a challenge since, due to the urgency, I did not know how to handle them. Unfortunately, I had to learn without access to any mentors and coaches.
My experience, I can say, is a bit different from that of the new colleagues who have joined my team. Having gone through all those challenges and luckily pulled through, I would not watch it happen to any other person. Mentorship and coaching are very important for new graduates getting into the profession (Irwin et al., 2021). As senior staff, I have always known that I have a role in ensuring that new graduates get the right support. For any new graduate joining my team, I have ensured that they worked closely with those of us who are experienced to gain the confidence that they require in the profession. This preceptor program has been helpful to them and has guided them in their learning process.
I have also ensured that they have a supportive environment to ensure that they transit successfully. This has been through good communication with them, having it in mind that they are even afraid of working collaboratively with other colleagues. I have further ensured that they have lighter duties as they also learn how to handle heavier ones, and this also ensures that they have an easier time as beginners.