Exploring New Nurses’ Experiences During the Transition to Clinical Practice in Indonesia: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background & Aim: The transition from nursing education to clinical practice can expose newly graduated nurses to clinical, psychological, and organizational challenges. This study explored newly graduated nurses’ experiences during their transition to clinical practice in Indonesia.

Methods & Materials: A descriptive phenomenological design was used. Twenty newly graduated nurses from two tertiary teaching hospitals in Depok and Makassar were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected through two focus group discussions and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method.

Results: Three themes and eight subthemes emerged. The first theme described challenges in adapting to clinical practice, including heavy workloads, gaps between academic preparation and clinical realities, and psychological distress. The second theme reflected suboptimal preceptorship caused by insufficient preceptor availability, competing workloads, inconsistent supervision, and limited constructive feedback. The third theme represented nurses’ expectations for organizational commitment, continuing professional development, and structured credentialing support.

Conclusions: The findings indicate that transition to clinical practice is a multidimensional process shaped by individual readiness and organizational support. Nursing education institutions and healthcare organizations should develop integrated transition-to-practice programs that include standardized orientation, unit-specific learning, accessible preceptorship, psychological support, continuing professional development, and gradual delegation of clinical responsibilities.