A Qualitative Study Using Phenomenology: Investigation of the Lived Experience of Second Degree Master's Entry Nurses as they Transition in their Advanced Practice Role

Abstract

Significance: Transition to advanced practice can be a challenge for students who are successful clinical bedside nurses. Second-career master’s entry students experience several transitions within their nursing educational process. Investigating the process that they go through the first 2 years after completing their graduate education and becoming Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) was valuable in understanding the consequences/outcomes of their transition as it relates to role performance, clinical competence/judgment, professional competence, and satisfaction. Transition occurs throughout the stages in life. Transition is as an evolving process related to multiple situations in life experiences. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experience of the second career masters’ entry nurse as he or she transitions in the APRN role as a Nurse Practitioner (NP). Method: The study design was qualitative, exploratory, and involved in-depth focus group interviews using a phenomenological method of inquiry. The sample was purposeful, with recruitment from Azusa Pacific University’s second-career Entry-Level Master’s program. The selected participants have graduated from their nursing program and have been working as NPs in an outpatient clinical setting from 1 to 24 months. Results: Seven main themes emerged from the focus group discussions: feeling overwhelmed, gaining confidence, being humble, being a life-long learner/educator, weaving previous degree and life experience, recognizing gaps and challenges in APRN education, and practicing in a familiar environment to ease the transition. Conclusions and Implications: Participants were able to transition to their NP role within the first 12 months. Implications for further research include the need to compare different entry-level master’s nursing programs that have an NP focus, examine traditional Master of Science NPs, and expand the timeframe to 3 to 5 years in practice.