A recent survey shows that 60% of Singaporean nurses, early in their careers, express discomfort doing complex healthcare procedures independently. Singapore General Hospital (SGH) shed light on this issue on Wednesday, sharing their concern about the potential impact on the quality of patient care due to the burden and complexities faced by newbies.
Taking an intimate look under the nursing cap, the survey probed the readiness of nurses as they start charting their course in the healthcare terrain, particularly those with less than two years of experience who are grappling with tasks such as responding to major medical emergencies, managing chest tube care, and tracheostomy therapy.
The survey—an initiative of SGH, Sengkang General Hospital, and Singapore Institute of Technology—reached out to more than 450 nurses who recently joined SingHealth. According to Principal Investigator Dr. Lim Siew Hoon, a nurse clinician at SGH, the study’s sharp focus was on unveiling transitional challenges faced by these fresh healthcare professionals.
The results, published in the global nursing journal, “Nurse Education Today,” highlighted additional gaps. Over 40% of respondents were stumped by ethical dilemmas related to divergences in patient care requirements and their families’ preferences. On top of that, 37% of surveyed nurses struggled with end-of-life care, and a quarter found balancing multiple patient needs challenging.
According to SGH’s deputy director of nursing, Ang Shin Yuh, these findings underline an imminent need to bolster training for entry-level nurses. She affirmed the healthcare community’s commitment towards self-improvement, stating, “all healthcare institutions have powerful competency assessment and training systems to ensure smooth and safe transmission of fresh fellas into their roles.”
Ang stressed that while skills such as managing complex cases and assisting in resuscitations are valuable, they only sometimes come into play. Yet, rooky nurses are not abandoned in these scenarios but supported by mentors.
After identifying these gaps, healthcare institutions scrutinize training methodologies to prepare fresh graduates better. One method involves enriching clinical residencies during training. For instance, a new BSN-MSN program offers students 36 weeks of hands-on clinical practice at SingHealth, up from 32 weeks.
Working closely with training schools will help mitigate skills gaps moving forward. Ang believes that by matching students’ interests with specific clinical practices, we could enhance learning relevancy and foster a smoother transition into their careers, eventually crafting more competent, confident nurses in Singapore.
