Northern Ghana final-year nurses' attitudes towards nursing and remaining post qualification

Status and associations of transition shock among nursing students during clinical practice: A cross-sectional study

AIM

This study aimed to investigate the current state and influencing factors of transition shock among nursing students during clinical practice.

BACKGROUND

Transition shock among nursing students can significantly impact their academic performance and well-being. Understanding the key factors contributing to this shock is crucial for developing effective support strategies and improving overall educational outcomes.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on October 8-28, 2022 at four tertiary Class A hospitals in Changsha, Hunan Province, located in south-central China. A convenience sample of 620 full-time nursing students was surveyed to collect demographic information and assess their transition shock levels using the transition shock scale. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression. STROBE checklist was used for the methodology in this study.

RESULTS

A total of 564 nursing students were ultimately included in the study. The average overall transition shock score was 46 (41, 52). Attitude toward the nursing profession had an independent influence on nursing students' transition shock (p < 0.05). Additionally, the number of night shifts, choosing nursing as the first choice, being class leaders, education level, future plans, school scale, and monthly household income contributed to different dimensions of transition shock (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY

Nursing students experience moderate transition shock, with attitude towards nursing as a key influencing factor. Clinical managers should implement targeted measures to better support nursing students improve their attitudes.

The imperative of evidence-based health workforce planning and implementation: lessons from nurses and midwives unemployment crisis in Ghana

Following periods of health workforce crisis characterised by a severe shortage of nurses, midwives and doctors due to low production rates and excessive out-migration, the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Health (MOH) responded by expanding training and allowing private sector involvement in the training of health workers especially nurses and midwives. This resulted in substantial increases in the production levels of nurses and midwives even above the projections of the MOH. In this paper, we discuss how a strategy that was seemingly well planned suffered a decade of uncorrected implementation lapses resulting in a lingering need-based shortage of nurses and midwives at service delivery points whilst thousands of trained nurses and midwives remained unemployed for up to 4 years and constantly protesting for jobs. In the short term, we argue that the Government of Ghana would need to increase investment to recruit trained and unemployed nurses and midwives whilst a comprehensive health labour market analysis is conducted to provide robust evidence towards the development of a long-term health workforce plan that would guide future production of nurses and midwives. The Government of Ghana may also explore the option of a managed migration programme to export nurses/midwives to countries that are already destinations to individual migration initiatives in a bid to mitigate the potential skill loss associated with long periods of unemployment after training, especially for those who trained from the private institutions.