2004 Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 68-78
In order to investigate the effectiveness of curricula, educational methods and clinical practice systems for developing practical nursing skills within basic nursing education, a group interview was conducted to ascertain the current state of work performed by new nursing university graduates assigned to ICU and acute care medicine. The feelings and emotions experienced by the new nurses (n=5)during the early stage of employment were roughly divided into two categories : "work-related" and "interpersonal relationships and support systems". The "work-related" category was further divided into "achievement", "approval", "responsibility", "specialty" and "work conditions", while the "interpersonal relationships and support systems" category was further divided into "directionality", "supervision", "co-worker relationships", and "supervisor-subordinate relationships". Most experiences were recalled without much emotion, suggesting reality shock. However, the subjects discussed "directionality" with much emotion, demonstrating that "directionality" in current education appears to be a factor that suppresses new nurses from leaving work during the early stage of their employment. Along with focus on clinical nursing practice and the need for nursing management to deal with workplace stress, the importance of developing support systems for career development which include stress management and practical skill education was identified as a future task in basic nursing education.
