Effects of an Adaptive Education Program on the Learning, Mental Health and Work Intentions of New Graduate Nurses

Health care workers are at a higher risk of psychological distress than ordinary people. Stress affects physical and mental health, and can even produce an intention to leave. The current training for new graduate nurses (NGNs) during this transitional period mostly focuses on the cultivation of professional ability, with less attention to mental health or emotional feelings, and thus there are insufficient structured support strategies. As such, this study explores the effects of intervention through an appropriate education program on the learning, mental health and work intentions of new recruits during the transition period. A pre-test and post-test for a single group was designed for new nursing staff in a large teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. The test period was from May 2017 to December 2018, and a total of 293 cases were accepted. A three-month adaptive education program was provided and evaluated in terms of: care for learning, care for health, improving professional ability, and individualized guidance on satisfaction, mental health disturbance and work intention. The new graduate nurses who received gentle care and counseling showed a downward trend in their BSRS-5 scores and statistical differences over time (p < 0.001). The higher the BSRS-5 score, the easier it is for new graduate nurses in acute and intensive care units. There is a tendency for turnover leave (p = 0.03). After the intervention of the overall plan, the turnover rate of new graduate nurses within three months was 12.6%, and the one-year retention rate was 87.9%. The adaptive education program uses multiple support strategies to improve learning and professional abilities, to reduce psychological emotions, and thereby to increase retention. Today will face new medical challenges; the education programs will become more important across clinical care settings, and it will be important to rigorously validate their performance in helping NGNs.