Interprofessional Collaboration: An Interpretive Descriptive Study into the Experiences of Entry Level Nurses

• Author / Creator

  MacQuarrie, Cynthia L.

• In Nova Scotia (NS), within their first year of professional practice newly graduated registered nurses are considered Entry Level Nurses (ELN) (NSCN, 2013, 2020). Until now, little was known about how ELNs experience interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in interprofessional (IP) teams in Nova Scotia. This Interpretive Descriptive (ID) study sought to advance nursing knowledge and greater understanding of ELN experiences. The overarching research question guiding this study was: what are the experiences of ELNs in relation to IPC in IP teams in Nova Scotia? Subsumed under this overarching question was a set of subsidiary questions that reflected the inquiry and analysis required to develop a more comprehensive understanding of IPC across ELN and aggregate perspectives.
  Fifteen participants were interviewed and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was conducted. Four main themes surfaced from the interview data. They are described as: (1) emotions linked to IPC, (2) team characteristics, (3) development of IPC competency, and (4) contextual influences on IPC. Several sub-themes were noticed and are discussed in this paper. As Nova Scotia continues to overcome the COVID 19 pandemic, the experiences shared by the participants highlight the importance of further discovery and research. More studies are needed to explore the extent to which these themes are prevalent in healthcare teams.
  Today’s healthcare milieu of multiple care providers and complex treatment regimens demand the active participation from nurses and all members of the interprofessional (IP) team including the patient and family (Accreditation Canada, 2019). Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is an essential component in the delivery of nursing care. The State of the World’s Nursing 2020 report (WHO, 2020) proclaims the healthcare system needs RNs working to the full extent of their education and the maximization of their roles within IP teams (WHO, 2020). Similarly, the Nova Scotia College of Nursing (NSCN, 2020) defines the RN as a collaborator required for optimal IPC.
  New trends and issues are documented in nursing (ICN, 2020; WHO, 2020). The World Health Organization (2020) suggests that newly graduated registered nurses play a key role in resolving nurse burnout, current workload issues, and recruitment and retention challenges. The COVID 19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to address these issues in nursing, especially from the viewpoint of ELNs in unpredictable team circumstances while attempting to achieve IPC.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Interprofessional Collaboration
  • Entry Level Nurses

• Graduation date

  Fall 2022

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-g7nw-e366

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.