Becoming a good nurse – Socialisation of newly employed nurses into the oncological clinic

Aim and objectives To explore newly employed nurses’ socialisation in the process of introduction into an oncological clinic from the perspectives of unit managers and newly employed nurses. Background There are managerial challenges in retaining nurses at workplaces. The way in which nurses are socialised into their work is important for their job satisfaction and retainment. Method Qualitative, semi‐structured interviews with seven nurses and two unit managers, and written introductory material. Thematic analyses were made, inspired by Goffman's concepts of social interaction, back stage, front stage and roles. SRQR checklist was used. Results Unit managers created the framework for socialising newly employed nurses through written introductory guidelines and assignments of supervisors as mainstream role models. Newly employed nurses were socialised gradually through mirroring their supervisors in their role as nurse. Front stage, patients often functioned as objects for newly employed nurses’ training. Back stage, patients often functioned as communication objects for all professionals. Newly employed nurses, who also demand roles such as transformer, boss, coordinator, prompter and friend, were socialised into the role of assistant to the doctor. Medical rounds functioned as a socialisator in this process. Conclusion The allocated supervisors were role models in socialising newly employed nurses into an oncological clinic and its culture. Nurses were socialised into an understanding of care as a biomedical orientation, in which medicine had a higher value than care in the existing knowledge hierarchy at the oncological clinic. This might have implications for who applies for and stays in the job. Relevance to clinical practice Increased awareness of the importance of socialisation of nurses into the clinic during the introduction process. Re‐thinking nurses’ independent functions and patient perspectives in introduction of newly employed nurses to maintain and develop nursing as an independent profession.