Unveiling the challenges encountered by newly graduated nurses during night shifts: A descriptive qualitative study

Newly graduated nurses commence night shifts during a phase of heightened vulnerability to reality shock, exacerbating the challenges faced by these graduates. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the challenges experienced by newly graduated nurses when undertaking night shifts in order to help identify a strategy for supporting their adaptation to these shifts. Semi-structured personal interviews were used to collect data. Fifteen newly graduated nurses were selected to participate in the study by purposive sampling method from November 2021 to March 2022 in one of four general hospitals situated in the southwestern region of Japan. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed by using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed five central themes and nine subthemes: challenges in task efficiency (task organization challenges, challenges in time-constrained task performance), challenges in responding to patients' changing conditions (challenges in responding to patients' irregular conditions, challenges in responding to nighttime changes in patients' behaviors), challenges in independent practice (challenges in engaging in independent nursing practice, challenges in dealing with unexpected events), challenges in establishing collaborative relationships (challenges in working closely with other staff, challenges in establishing collaborative relationships during night shifts with limited resources), challenges in adapting to shift work (challenges in managing physical conditions for shift work). Newly graduated nurses often encounter challenges in performing their tasks during the transition period. When working night shifts, they face additional hurdles unique to nocturnal duties. The findings underscore the necessity for these graduates to develop night shift-specific readiness to effectively navigate the demands inherent in such work schedules.