Strategies new graduate registered nurses require to care and advocate for themselves: A literature review

Background: New graduate registered nurses (NGRNs) are confronted with a complex, demanding and resource-constrained environment where gaining acceptance into the workplace culture may be difficult. Existing evidence suggests that preparing undergraduate nursing students for this reality can assist with adjustment. Objectives: To identify the strategies that NGRNs require to care and advocate for themselves during their first year of practice. Methods: A search of the literature published between 2001 and 2016 was undertaken. Individual articles were synthesized narratively and the results entered to a summary table. Results: A total of 274 articles were considered relevant to this narrative review. This paper synthesized the narrative of 80 articles. Synthesis revealed 22 resilience factors and 33 issues. Eight strategies with potential to assist NGRNs to care and advocate for themselves were identified. All of them are socioemotional in nature. Conclusions: This review of the literature provides a valuable resource that can be used to prepare nursing students for the workplace culture during their first year as a registered nurse. Scenarios can be developed for educational activities such as simulation, role play, discussion and self-reflection. Further development through research is recommended.