The impact of changes in nursing practicum caused by COVID-19 pandemic on new graduate nurses

BACKGROUND: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about major changes throughout nursing education. Most clinical practicum has been substituted by skills laboratories, simulation laboratories, virtual simulation or written assignments. Nursing students who have experienced this change in practicum have fears about their future role as new graduate nurses. However, to date, no studies have been conducted exploring how their fears work when they become new graduate nurses. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the status of nursing practicum at nursing universities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to explore the relationship between difficulties in nursing tasks, work readiness, reality shock, and organizational socialization among new graduate nurses with nursing practicum experience during this pandemic. DESIGN: Descriptive comparative research design. PARTICIPANTS: 178 new graduate nurses with a clinical experience from 1 month to less than 12 months and graduating from nursing universities in 2021, the 3rd grade in 2020 and the 4th grade in 2021. METHODS: Cross-sectional study via a self-administered online questionnaire measuring difficulties in nursing tasks, work readiness, reality shock, and organizational socialization. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, Pearson correlation. RESULTS: New graduate nurses were divided into 72 in the Clinical/Clinical group and 106 in the Clinical/Substitute group. There was a significant difference in the difficulties in nursing tasks (t = −2.342, p = .020), but there were no significant differences in work readiness, reality shock, and organizational socialization between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts in the clinical field to increase the adaptation of new graduate nurses could prevent problems that may arise due to the restrictions and absence of clinical practicum. Discussions should be continued to develop and implement efficient nursing practicum education that not only can reduce the gap between nursing education and nursing practice, but also respond appropriately to any pandemic situation.