Reality Shock Experienced by Nurses Changing Place of Work to Special Nursing Homes for the Elderly

Abstract

  The present study aimed to clarify the aspects of reality shock experienced by nurses changing their place of work to special nursing homes for the elderly. A semi-structured individual interview of 14 full-time experienced nurses at a hospital was conducted. They worked as a full-time nurse there for the first time and were in their second to fifth year. From the interview, 11 categories, including 3 major categories, were extracted. Nurses who change their place of work to special nursing homes for the elderly are often unaware about their roles. They reported that they experienced “confusion with the gap that they felt after changing place of work” at special nursing homes for the elderly. They felt “Reality and values of unfamiliar nursing” within this gap. In the process of accepting the gap, “the fluctuation of the identity as a nurse” presented a particular crisis response. Therefore, it was suggested that nurses changing their place of work to special nursing homes for the elderly are prone to reality shock and that appropriate support systems, such as the introduction of an internship system, and appropriate feedback by senior nurses must be established to help such reality shock-prone nurses.