Optimizing Academic-Practice Partnerships to Promote Transition to Nursing Practice

Background An academic-practice partnership was implemented in Northwestern Ontario with the goals of enhancing cross- sector collaboration, co-creating research knowledge related to transition to practice, engaging and recruiting nurses, and mobilizing knowledge to improve the transition experience. There is a growing nursing shortage requiring novel solutions to support retention, particularly for rural and remote populations. Academic-practice partnerships can be leveraged to improve working conditions and consequently job satisfaction (Padilla Rogers et al., 2020). Method Using qualitative methodology, semi-structured virtual interviews were conducted with nine Registered Nurse participants ranging in experience from three to seven months employed at the same hospital in Northwestern Ontario.The interview guide was developed collaboratively by an advisory board comprised of the researcher, hospital staff and input from two student ambassadors from the graduating class. Thematic analysis was completed and broad categories were established with data then expanded into five overarching themes. Results Five themes representing impactful sentiments shared by the new graduate nurses were identified: “I couldn’t be the nurse I know I could be”; “I’m with you right now”; “You have to catch up”; “Do you want to learn it with me?”; and “I feel thrown in and unprepared”. Conclusion New graduate nurses experience a dissonance between expectations and reality influenced by their interactions with preceptors and colleagues. Academic-practice partnerships can create supportive learning environments, allowing new nurses to transition to independent practitioners while establishing stronger professional identity, which is a positive indicator for retention.