Using role theory concepts to understand transitions from hospital-based nursing practice to home care nursing.

BACKGROUND

The phenomena experienced by professional nurses who make practice-based career changes are seldom addressed in the literature. Nurses changing from a hospital-based practice to a home health care setting report feelings of anxiety, incompetency, and lack of the necessary skills to care for clients in the home.

METHOD

An integrative review of the literature on role theory can provide the conceptual understanding of the transitional experience of nurses whose roles change when they move from hospital-based practice to a home health care setting.

RESULTS

A model of the role transition process is helpful in identifying the transition experienced by nurses new to the home health care setting. Experiences during the initial transition period are critical in shaping the nurse's understanding of the role.

CONCLUSION

Educators can play a key part in assisting novice home health care nurses with role enactment by developing comprehensive orientation and education programs aimed at minimizing role strain.