workforce
Frustrated ambitions
Graduate nurses face
many difficulties in gaining
registered nurse experience.
By Dianne Juliff
T
here are challenging times ahead
for the nursing workforce due to the
increasing global nursing shortage
and the continued marked attrition rate of
newly graduated registered nurses.
A recent study on the lived experience
of nine male West Australian GRNs in their
first year has revealed that two of them,
James and Oliver (not their real names),
had trouble securing GRN positions
post-graduation.
Their experiences concur with the
findings of a 2014 graduate nurse and
30 agedcareinsite.com.au
midwife questionnaire. Respondents who
were unable to obtain employment, even
after applying for multiple positions, cited
issues such as lack of nursing experience,
lack of nursing positions for new graduates,
and lack of jobs without the completion of
a nursing graduate program.
It had been over six months since James
had completed his undergraduate nursing
degree before he started in the mid-
year GRN program, although he would
have preferred to start straight after his
registered nurse (RN) registration.
James continued to work in patient care
assistance while waiting for his program, as
he knew many other new GRNs who had
been unsuccessful in obtaining nursing
positions despite copious applications to
various health services. The reasons for
this, according to James, included their
lack of RN experience and novice status.
He also revealed that as the months
went on after graduating, he became more
nervous about commencing as a new
GRN and was not sure how it would go for
him. He further recapped on his lack of
confidence: “The responsibility of having
a patient load on my own was definitely a
big factor, coupled with the medications –
ensuring not to make an error, etc.”
This lack of confidence intensified as
he neared his entry into the graduate
program. He doubted his ability to
perform as an RN and meet the team’s
expectations of him in his new role,
stating: “I fear not holding up my end
when it comes to being in a team
environment.”
Although his previous career was in
a team environment – his background
in the army and the associate life
experiences he saw as a big advantage –
James still felt he required a transition
platform such as the GRN program due
to the nuances of the nursing profession
and the socialisation required when
entering a dynamic and ever-changing
health environment.
For Oliver, he did not apply for a GRN
program as he could not find one that
was specific to aged care, the area he
believed was his best fit. The months after
his graduation proved very challenging as
he received rejection after rejection on
his nursing job applications.
His frustration is illustrated in one of his