“Jumping into the COVID‐19 arena”: The professional transition into clinical practice of new graduate nurses in Italy at time of COVID‐19

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of the professional transition of new graduate nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: The transition from the role of student to the professional role can be challenging for new graduate nurses for the acquisition of higher autonomy and responsibility. The COVID‐19 pandemic impacted the quality of the professional transition. DESIGN: This was a cross‐sectional observational study following the Strengthening and Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist. METHODS: One hundred and two nurses who graduated in three consecutive sessions (November 2019—pre‐pandemic, March 2020—pandemic outbreak, and November 2020—2nd wave) in a north Italian university located in the most affected Italian region by the COVID‐19 pandemic, completed an online survey assessing well‐being, risk of burnout, resilience, perceived stigma, strengths and limitations and quality of the professional transition. The study was performed between March and May 2021. RESULTS: 81.4% of participants described the professional transition as worse than expected, and new graduate nurses who worked in COVID‐19 settings reported a more difficult transition to professional life. No differences emerged in burnout, mental well‐being and perceived stigma between new graduate nurses who worked in COVID‐19 settings and those who did not. Similarly, no differences emerged amongst the three graduated cohort sessions. The most commonly mentioned challenges faced during the transition were organisational aspects, suddenly acquired autonomy and lack of suitable coaching. CONCLUSION: New graduate nurses reported a challenging academic‐professional transition, in particular, those who worked in COVID‐19 settings. The mid‐ and long‐term impact of experiencing an academic‐professional transition in COVID‐19 settings should be assessed and monitored. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The professional transition of new graduate students should be adequately planned and monitored, new graduates should be assisted to develop realistic expectations about the transition, and an adequate coaching period should be guaranteed all the more during health emergencies.