Supporting newly hired nurses: a program to increase knowledge and confidence while fostering relationships among the team.

BACKGROUND: It is important for newly hired nurses to be supported throughout their first year of employment by nurse leaders on their team. Newly hired nurses struggle with application of new clinical skills and critical thinking skills as well as integrating into unit culture.

PROGRAM DESIGN: The Post Orientation Education Program (POEP) provided 18 newly hired nurses with clinical knowledge and support through one-on-one meetings with the nurse leaders on their unit. The nurse leaders discussed common diagnoses, laboratory tests, and medications in addition to providing support to the newly hired nurses as they adapted to the newness of nursing. Early in their career the newly hired nurses developed relationships with the leadership team that may have taken longer if not for the POEP. The program gave the newly hired nurses an opportunity to experience different teaching styles of the nurse leaders and offered them the chance to engage in conversations about both clinical and nonclinical information.

OUTCOMES: The program was evaluated through pre/post tests and written evaluations. Evaluations revealed increased knowledge about common diagnoses, increased confidence in role, and the development of trusting relationships with the leadership team.

CONCLUSION: The newly hired nurses valued the time that they spent with the leadership team as it helped them to integrate into the unit and feel comfortable using the leaders as resources for patient care. The POEP proved to be a program that impacted not only relationships among the team, but it increased retention and quality of patient care as the nurses felt supported by the team, knowledgeable about the care they were delivering and confident in their ability to seek out resources. A program like the POEP could be adapted to various healthcare settings based on individual needs of the team.