Abstract
We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven nurses who had recently
graduated from colleges and had been working in children’s wards for less than 2 years, to
examine their motivations for continuing to work as nurses. Analysis of the accumulated data
led to extraction of four themes:（ 1） The nurses change their way of thinking and start to
learn from mistakes;（ 2） They have a clear aim for the nursing care that they will provide;
（3） Positive responses from children and parents help the nurses feel they are valued staff
members, and（ 4） The support of others incentivizes them to continue their work. It is
important for newly graduated nurses to consider what they should do now to benefit their
future paths, gain a clear image of the nursing care they will provide, and feel that their
respective hospital wards are the right place for them.
