Helen Donovan
Central Queensland University, Australia
Title: Overburdening Families at a time of Graduate Vulnerability
Biography
Biography: Helen Donovan
Abstract
Background: The graduate year for novice registered nurses and midwives is known to be a time of anxiety and excitement punctuated with ‘highs and lows’ directly related to changing workloads, increased responsibility and staff dynamics. The need for professional support during this time has been well documented. The graduate demands on family and friends at this challenging time has however been rarely examined. Method: This descriptive phenomenological study explored the experiences of 23 Australian double degree (Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery) graduates in their 1st year of practice. Individual face to face interviews conducted between 9-12 months of the participant’s commencing employment provided an opportunity to understand both the professional and personal support needs of these graduate nurses and midwives during their year of transition to registered nurse midwife practice. Findings: The findings showed that all participants in this study needed more support than that which was provided in the clinical environment. This was most evident in the first 3 months of practice where detailed sharing of experiences via daily phone calls, emails, social networking and face to face debriefing with family and friends was regarded by the participants to be essential for them to cope with the intrinsic and extrinsic expectations of their new role. Debriefing with family and friends who worked and understood the health care industry was regarded to be the most valuable, as support could be practice focused if necessary. Conclusion: Graduate nurses and midwives look externally to family and friends for support when the clinical environment does not meet their beginner needs. As a result, family and friends are at risk of becoming overburdened by: Graduate demands for counseling and advice; being exposed to confidential information while having no support systems themselves from which to draw. The need for clinical facilities to provide adequate support systems for the beginning nurse midwife is essential to ensure that families and friends are not forced into a role of professional mentor and mediator.