Preparation for Transition into Clinical Practice

Running head: TRANSITION INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE 1
Preparation for Transition into Clinical Practice
Name
Institutional Affiliation

TRANSITION INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE 2
Introduction
For new graduate nurses, transitioning into clinical practice is not an easy ordeal. The final year
of school is more so characterized by the endless anxiety of what to expect upon entry into
clinical practice. Many are the times' student confess that they are engulfed in a feeling of
emptiness. Feelings of lack of sufficient knowledge on how to face encounters of real-life
clinical problems is another issue (Chang & Daly, 2015). Newly registered health professional
have a stinging role to undertake as they have to develop confidence and adapt to the new
requirements of the workplace they find themselves in. confidence emerges to be the key theme
characterizing the first year of clinical practice. In many scenarios, it is not that newly registered
nurses have no relevant skills to tackle prevailing situations; it is only that they have no
confidence even in their own abilities, a factor greatly culminated by lack of experience and shift
into a new environment. Due to a huge load of responsibility and accountability of actions, new
nurses are faced with extreme feelings of fear. To gain proficiency and efficiency, there is a wide
range of skills, both clinical and non-clinical, that new graduate nurses transitioning into clinical
practice should embrace and emulate. Discussed henceforth in details are a variety of such skills
that aids a smooth transition into clinical practice.
Critical analysis
i. Clinical skills
Upon entry into clinical practice, there are a wide variety of both clinical and non-clinical skills
that nurses should be well acquitted with. First, clinical skills will be discussed comprehensively
and then followed by various non-clinical skills that have a significant impact on the overall
development of experience by new nurses. Newly registered nurses should possess the skill to

TRANSITION INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE 3
measure and record blood pressure. It goes beyond measuring and recording as the nurse must be
well aware of the optimum blood pressure and the critical levels that call for immediate action to
avoid lethal impacts (Moore & Cunningham, 2016). The ability to take good care of the skin is
another clinical skill of great significance. Skin-related disorders or injuries are quite common in
a clinical setting and a nurse should be well acquitted with relevant knowledge on how to handle
and treat them efficiently. Bathing skill is another skill that new nurses should be well conversant
with. There are many situations in which a nurse will be required to bath their patients. Nurses
should also be aware that bathing is categorized into two; complete and partial. Deficiency of
this skill could cause adverse effects more so when bathing newborn children; a common
exercise especially for nurses in the midwifery department.
Nurses should also possess the skill to assist various clients with feeding. There are many
situations when nurses will encounter patients in critical conditions to the extent that they cannot
feed themselves (Bayes, Sally-Ann, & Maude, 2018). It is upon nurses therefore to know the
right type of food that is the best fit for a certain patient and develop the right method to feed
such a patient. This skill will be of much help to patients as they will receive food, a crucial basic
need compulsory for survival. Lastly, on clinical skills, a nurse should be fully aware of how to
make a bed. There are situations when nurses will be required to make a bed that is occupied by
a patient and other times, to make an unoccupied bed (Delves-Yates, 2015). Clinical skills
perfectly employed by a nurse contribute to delivery of quality care to patients in an
organization.
ii. Non-clinical skills