Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the different challenges individuals face when entering the nursing profession with either a CEGEP (college) or a bachelor’s degree. I interviewed two groups of newly qualified/registered nurses: one group with a bachelor’s degree the other with a college degree who are currently working in a Long-Term Care Facility (LTCF): seven Registered Nurses (RN), two CEGEP (DEC) and five bachelor (BScN) RNs all of whom agreed that they were not adequately prepared by their education to work in an LTC. Through my research, I identified their individual learning needs based on their educational backgrounds as well as current practice. The research questions that guided the interviews where:

1. How did the entry level competency of CEGEP nursing diploma program prepare you for the workforce in Montreal?
2. How did the entry level competency of the bachelor’s degree in Nursing prepare you for the workforce in Montreal?
3. Do you feel that your employer supported you in integrating to the clinical setting?

Based on the information received from the participants lived experience I have made suggestions for designing an orientation program for newly hired nurses by LTCFs that takes into account the educational background of the novice nurses to optimize their learning and explore mentoring opportunities or approaches aiming at integrating them into the working environment of an LTCF.