Project Title

An exploration of the experiences of newly qualified nurses and midwives transitioning into their first role as a registrant during a time of crisis  

Research Focus

Our focus is the generation of new registrants who graduated from Queen's Universtity Belfast in the months before the COVID-19 crisis started 

Funder & Dates

ESRC impact acceleration account - £3,000 – to commence in August 2020

Principal Investigator or Primary Supervisor (if PhD project)

Dr Breidge Boyle 

Co-Investigators or additional supervisors

Dr Janine Stockdale 

Research Fellow(s) or PhD Student

Name & Institution of Collaborators

Name of External Partner Organisations

Description of Project:

Aim; Methods; Expected Outcomes

• Our NHS partners and our politicians are describing the current crisis as a war against COVID 19. Health care knowledge has historically grown exponentially during times of war. These newly qualified nurses will potentially have been asked to take on more responsibility than expected during a time when they would still be undergoing preceptorship, or will have recently have exited that program. They will also be facing extra stresses, and potential logistical difficulties, in their personal lives through the social distancing rules. This may have led to the total or partial breakdown of their usual support networks. Conversely, it may also have augmented their learning, developed their confidence and accelerated their transition into their new role. 

• These new registrants, although employed by the NHS trusts, are recent alumni of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at QUB. Some still have close links with their personal tutors and use them as a support network. A convenience sample of them will be invited to take part in online focus groups. 

• We aim toexplore theexperiences of nurses and midwives who became registrants during or after September 2019, and who have had to deal with the COVID 19 crisis during their first year of practice. This will be achieved through online focus groups and will compliment a similar piece of work being done among student nurses employed by the trusts at this time. 

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