A Study of the Experiences of Nurses in Intra-hospital Ward Rotation during the Trial Stage

Abstract

A trial stage is an important stage at which directionality is being established in the process of careerdevelopment. The objective of this study is to describe how the experience of intra-hospital ward rota-tion, considered as a means of career development, affects nurses during the trial stage. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six nurses working in three different hospitals, and data were qualita-tively and inductively analyzed. Before the ward rotation the nurses at the trial stage were "seeking direction in their careers" and "interested in working in another ward because of the desire to improve themselves". After the ward rotation, they were "torn between the different value systems experienced among the former and present ward staff", "flustered due to the changes in the work environment", aware of "changes in their position", and experiencing "situations where they were not able to demon-strate what they could do as efficiently as in the former ward", despite all of this "they felt that they had become used to the new ward, three or four months after the ward rotation". The ward rotation is an important event for nurses at the trial stage of their career development because it is the experience of "discovering their preferences and aptitudes", and "discovering merits or demerits in their professional nursing expertise", and nurses will become aware of their "growth as professionals". It is also important because nurses will become aware of "the importance and educational benefits of the ward rotation". Findings also showed that for nurses at the trial stage, the ward rotation is an experience which can make them "reconsider their careers".