Nurses’ experiences in transitioning to work in the long-term care and home and community care sectors: A phenomenological exploration

Nurses in long-term care (LTC) and home and community care (HCC) are well acquainted with the high workloads and manifold job stressors that pervade these sectors, making it increasingly difficult to employ and retain a strong workforce. In response, nursing bridging education programs have been proposed to enhance recruitment and retention. While the efficacy of such programs is supported, the transition to practice experience of new nurse graduates is often associated with feelings of under-preparedness. Understanding the lived experience of nurses transitioning into new roles in LTC and HCC after completing a bridging program may highlight areas of emphasis for future retention efforts. Hermeneutic phenomenology was employed to explore the experiences of new graduate Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) and Registered Nurses (RNs) from a tuition reimbursement program supporting students enrolled in nursing bridging education from Personal Support Worker (PSW) to RPN/RN and/or RPN to RN in Ontario as they transitioned to practice within LTC and HCC. A series of in-depth semi-structured virtual interviews and iterative analysis explored the meaning of everyday experiences for nurse participants. From twenty individual interviews (12 initial, 8 follow-up), the experience was embedded in a sense of fulfillment, further considered through four themes – benevolence; growth, eagerness, and anticipation to learn; building from within; and work-life balance. This is the first phenomenological study to report on the meaning of the experience of transitioning to practice for new graduate nurses from bridging education programs as they (re)enter the workforce in LTC and HCC, offering rich insight into their experiences when moving into new roles. By illuminating the nuances of this experience, the findings may encourage healthcare leaders to develop helpful policies, strategies, and workplace cultures in LTC and HCC that might better promote the recruitment and retention of nurses in these sectors.