| The senior nurse's experience of transition into the critical care unit is an important area within the field of health care, which to date has been unstudied. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the senior nurses' lived experiences as they transitioned to the critical care unit. Parse's theory of human becoming was used as the framework. Four nurses from the critical care unit in an urban community hospital who attended a particular advanced class on critical care nursing at an urban community college dialogued with the researcher. Through analysis of the dialogue, specific themes and patterns about transition emerged. Some of the themes identified were stress and fear, mentor's attitudes, isolation, support and rediscovery. The findings of the study demonstrated that beginning in a new unit affected the senior nurses in their personal, professional, and social lives. This study has implications for future design of transition for critical care nurses. |
