Chamberlain College of Nursing NR439: RN Evidence-Based Practice

Week 6: Reading Research Literature Worksheet

Name:
Date:
Complete the required worksheet after reading the assigned article for the session.
The NR439 Reading Research Literature Worksheet Rubric must be used to
answer each of the graded criterion for the following:
Purpose of the The purpose of this study is to explore the perspective of
Study Australian healthcare professionals on new graduate nurses’
practice readiness and competence. The study aims to
understand what “practice ready” entails, and what factors
contribute to considering new nurses competent and ready at
their job (Harrison et al, 2019).
Type of This is a qualitative study using an instrumental case study
Research & the design. The purpose of using a case study design is to get
Design insight into the issue of interest. In this case, researchers were
interested in exploring nursing readiness in the clinical setting.

Sample The sample chosen in this study consists of a total of 67

professionals employed at 4 different healthcare organizations
in Australia. Participants all work in the nursing profession,
with some working in clinical settings, and others working in
human resources or allied health. The age of participants ranged
from 27 to 65 years old, with an average age of 43 years old.
Most participants were female (85%). All participants have
extensive experience, with an average of 18.5 years. (Harrison,
2020)

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Chamberlain College of Nursing NR439: RN Evidence-Based Practice

Data Collection Data was collected by semi-structured individual interviews and

focus groups. The interviews consisted of pre-determined
questions and lasted between 30 to 75 minutes.

Data Analysis All interviews were audiotaped. Data collected was analyzed
using data management software called QSR International. The
data was coded and placed in categories that can be sorted and
compared to each other. This is an important step in qualitative
studies. Despite having a subjective focus, it is still important to
standardize the responses of the participants. Standardizing
responses is critical, as it maintains the rigors of qualitative
research studies (Johnson et al, 2020).

Limitations One limitation is the geographical location of the participants.

All participants are Australian, which makes it difficult to infer
the results to other populations residing in other countries.
Another limitation is the sample size. Although 65 participants
is generally considered a generous size, in this case it makes it
difficult to extrapolate the results to the majority of nursing
professionals.

Findings/ The study found that practice readiness is a complex topic, and
Discussion includes many overlapping factors such as personal, clinical,
and professional capabilities. It also found that practice
readiness is not binary, but rather it is a continuum that evolves
constantly. One factor that demonstrates practice readiness is
the new graduate nurse’s level of confidence. The study found
that experienced professionals identified three types of novice
nurses. They range from the shy and low-confident candidate, to
the moderately confident, and finally to the overconfident
professional. Most participants agreed that having no
confidence or having too much confidence even with lack of
knowledge, is a dangerous combination. There was consensus
that overconfident and “cocky” nurses are dangerous to the

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Chamberlain College of Nursing NR439: RN Evidence-Based Practice

profession, because they believe they know more than they do.
Reading It is important to read and understand research literature
Research because this is what guides new principles and clinical
Literature processes in nursing. Keeping up with new knowledge is the
only way we can improve our practice and improve outcomes
for our patients. This assignment has taught me to look at
studies with a systematic approach and consider all aspects of
the study, including what the researcher’s purpose is, the way in
which they selected their sample, the methods used, and the
limitations to their findings. It has taught me that it is not
enough to simply look at the findings and take them as facts, but
instead to evaluate the reliability of the methods used and
determine if the results are valid for the populations I work
with.

References

Harrison, H., Birks, M., Franklin, R., & Mills, J. (2020). An assessment continuum:
How healthcare professionals define and determine practice readiness of newly
graduated registered nurses. Collegian, 27(2), 198–206.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2019.07.003

Johnson, J. L., Adkins, D., & Chauvin, S. (2019). A review of the quality indicators of
rigor in qualitative research. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education,
84(1), 7120. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7120

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