| Qualitative studies of the lived experience of graduate nurses in the acute care clinical learning environment is crucial to the understanding of professional longevity and preparedness to practice in the acute care clinical setting. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of new graduate nurses employed in the acute care clinical setting and to answer the research question What is the lived experience of new graduate nurses in their first 12 months in the acute care clinical learning environment? The sample size of this study comprised 10 new graduate nurses who are currently employed in the acute care clinical learning environment in the southwest of a southern state in the U.S. The researcher started with a purposeful sampling method to identify the first two participants, and then proceeded to a snowball sampling method to identify additional research participants. Data were presented to substantiate the findings from the research and which were subdivided into five research question upon which the study was based. The results of the study substantiate previous research, and may prove useful to all stakeholders including employing organizations, schools of nursing, and learners. |
