Abstract
In the present study we attempted to describe how new recruits of nursing without much experience would acquire their Nursing Performance Abilities (the Six-Dimension Scale) and social skills, and also to investigate whether there was seen any significant relationship between them. Forty-six new nurses who started to working for T University Hospital in 2001 were enrolled in the study. As soon as they started working, we examined their experience with nursing activities, their self-confidence in performing of nursing skills, the Six-Dimension Scale, and their social skills. These examinations were repeated four times every three months. Concerning the Six-Dimension Scale and social skills, we can observe a decline of the values of their self-evaluation during the first three months and the first six months respectively, and then they rose gradually. Even their experiences gained as time passed, it did not mean that they became more confident about their nursing skills. There was seen a significant relationship between the Six-Dimension Scale and social skills during the last six months. Both of them were properly improved in a similar way as time passed. Considering each aspect of the Six-Dimension Scale in detail, nursing plans and interpersonal relations were strongly related during the last six months. The individual difference in this respect among nurses became bigger and bigger. It follows from the results that new nurses experience "reality shock" during the first three to six months, suggesting that adequate support from experienced nurses is needed to promote self-control and establish good interpersonal relations. It can also be said that self-evaluation helps nurses become conscious of care and set goals. It is thus indispensable to develop objective self-evaluation skills in continuous and basic educational programs.
