[ANSWER]NURS3006 Assignment 2: Challenges for Newly Registered Nurses

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Newly Registered Nurses

Reality shock is a common challenge among NRNs (Newly Registered Nurses) during their first year of professional practice. This phenomenon denotes divergence between a NRN’s expectations of the nursing role and the reality of the clinical environment (Villanueva et al., 2015). Also referred to as transition shock, reality shock is the confusion, doubt and anxiety a nursing graduate experiences when they transition from student nurse to professional nurse (Sparacino, 2016). Whereas NRNs (Newly Registered Nurses) are momentarily exposed to the clinical environment during the course of undergraduate study (through clinical placement), the complexities of the clinical environment often turn out to be different from what they expected.

When they begin professional practice, it immediately dawns on them that the clinical environment is more complex than they imagined. This complexity may stem from the nature of clinical roles and expectations (Opoku, Niekerk & Khuabi, 2020). During undergraduate training and clinical placement, nursing students usually work under close supervision. Upon commencement of professional practice, however, they are expected to plan and implement nursing interventions with as little supervision and support as possible, meaning that performance expectations are higher in the practice environment. As Woo and Newman (2020) put it, a mismatch between the responsibilities performed during undergraduate training and the responsibilities expected in professional practice occurs.

For someone with limited clinical experience, this drastic adjustment of roles and expectations can be daunting. Reality shock may also emanate from theory-practice gaps, the often-complicated character of hospital operations and administrative procedures, as well as the expectations of co-workers and the employer as perceived by NRNs (Murray, Sundin & Cope, 2018; Murray et al., 2020; Opoku et al., 2020).   Reality shock is problematic as it may cause NRNs (Newly Registered Nurses) to feel inadequate to perform clinical duties. It may result in a sense of self-doubt that may be detrimental to their clinical performance (Villanueva et al., 2015).

Owing to reality shock and the subsequent experience of anxiety, one may start to have reservations about their ability to make appropriate clinical decisions when it comes to patient assessment and management (Opoku et al., 2020). Other feelings associated with reality shock among NRNs (Newly Registered Nurses) include fear, helplessness, despair, insecurity, and vulnerability (Woo & Newman, 2020). Together with self….[Buy Full Answer for Just USD 9: 3621 WORDS]

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