Effective Support by On-site Nursing Instructors as Perceived by Novice Nurses : A Group Interview Study

Abstract

Purpose : This study aims to describe the effective support by on-site nursing instructors as perceived by novice nurses, and to develop an educational program to support novice nurses.

Methods : A group interview was conducted with seven novice nurses working in two university hospitals in A Prefecture who had expressed consent to participate in the study. The data obtained were analyzed qualitatively and inductively.

Results : The participants were two male and five female nurses. An analysis of the interview data showed that the effective support by on-site nursing instructors as perceived by these novice nurses is comprised of two categories, [duty support] and [emotional support]. [Duty support] includes the following subcategories : «support for acquiring nursing skills», «support for performing the nursing», and «support in assessing the significance of the nursing they performed». Subcategories of [emotional support] are «support for approval» and «support for acceptance».

Conclusions : Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to improve the workplace environment and develop practical educational programs that enable on-site instructors to support novice nurses.