Interventions that support novice nurses' transition into practice: A realist review.

Background: Many transition-to-practice programs have been developed to support novice nurses during their first years into practice. These programs report improvements in retention, wellbeing and clinical competence, but the driving mechanisms of these interventions remain largely unclear.

Objective: To identify how transition-to-practice programs for novice nurses work and in what contexts they work successfully.

Methods: A realist review was conducted. Eligibility criteria included intervention studies aimed at novice nurses in their first two years of practice that reported outcomes on organizational or individual nurse level. The underlying theory of included transition-to-practice programs was extracted, and relevant contextual factors, mechanisms and outcomes were explored and synthesized into context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations. The search was limited to studies between 2000 and 2023.

Results: A total of 32 studies were included, evaluating 30 different transition-to-practice programs with a wide range of intervention components including stress management, clinical education, professional and peer support, and ward rotations. Transition-to-practice programs were often designed without a theoretical foundation. Driving mechanisms behind the programs pertained to psychological, professional, and social development. Contextual factors that activated the mechanisms were enabling conditions for mentors and novice nurses, selection and motivation of novice nurses and organizational culture.

Conclusions: Current transition-to-practice programs primarily focus on the individual and professional development of nurses. However, transition to practice can benefit from a systemic approach that includes development initiatives on the organizational level.

Registration: PROSPERO ID CRD42021268080, August 15, 2021.

Tweetable Abstract: Context and mechanisms determine successful implementation of transition to practice programs for novice nurses. @transitiontopractice @nurseworkforce.