Introduction
This article will discuss the process of making the transition into professional practice. It will define transition and the different types. There are three primary categories of transitions: anticipated, unanticipated, and nonevent transitions. Other nonevent transitions, such as ripple and delayed nonevent transitions, are classified under the nonevent transition. The mentioned transitions and examples of each will be covered in the paper as well as the 4 S’s of transitions. with definitions and examples of each and according to Nancy Schlossberg, the last part of this article will cover the various barriers to transition.
Definition of transition
According to Schlossberg’s definition, a transition can be any event—or nonevent that leads to altered routines, relationships, assumptions, and responsibilities. It is important to emphasize that perception is a key factor in transitions (Lindstrom, 2019). This is because an event—or nonevent—only meets the criteria of a transition if the person experiencing it identifies it as such. Transition to practice refers to the critical period during which a nurse acquires the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for independent nursing practice within the extent of his or her level of license (Wall, 2018). Steps in moving from one level of nursing practice to another like completing a nursing education program and earning a higher nursing license also causes the transitioning experience. Another example to understand transition more is a nurse’s shift to a new position or set of responsibilities within their current scope of practice. Transitioning experience can also be felt when a health care professional returns to practice after an extended leave (Wall,et al,. 2018).
Types of transitions
Anticipated transitions are major life events that most individuals may look forward to experiencing (Tønseth, 2018). Examples include completing formal education, finding romantic partners, and starting a family. These examples of transitions are frequently foreseen within particular cultural situations and are therefore expected. A situation where individuals go from being nursing students at a university to newly graduated nurses working in a hospital would be an example of an anticipated transition to professional practice. The second type of transition is unanticipated transitions. These transitions are events that don’t follow the normal course of adult life and happen without warning or preparation (Tønseth, 2018). Some examples of this kind of transition include the development of a health problem, losing one’s job, or becoming the victim of crime. An unanticipated shift to professional practice can be felt in a scenario where nursing skills are needed urgently, causing licensure of competent students to be conducted sooner than planned. This can happen when a severe shortage of nursing occurs due to a disease epidemic causing flooding of patients in hospitals. The third type of transition is the nonevent transition. This type of transition occurs when an occasion is expected but never materialize (Jones, 2018). . A failed marriage is one example of such transition.
The nonevent transition takes many forms including the ripple nonevent and the delayed nonevent. The ripple effect can be felt due to the failure of another person, typically a close friend or family member. One example of a situation that might cause a ripple effect is when one partner does not receive a promotion that was expected. The family of a nursing student can also feel the ripple effect when their child fails to graduate to professional practice (Jones, 2018). A delayed nonevent transition occurs when one anticipates the occurrence of an event that may or may not take place. A woman who stopped trying to get pregnant and then became pregnant is one illustration of this occurrence. According to Schlossberg, one must consider the type of transition, the context in which it occurs, and the impact of the transition in order to fully grasp what it means to an individual. The context is both the individual’s relationship with the transition as well as the environment in which the shift is taking place. If the transition is of positive effect such as graduation from university or getting a job in in your dream workplace, then an individual will perceive it as positive. The significance of transitioning event is proportional to the extent to which it impacts a person’s regular routine. It is measured by how considerably a person’s day-to-day life has been disrupted or changed. An example is
The 4 S’s system
Schlossberg came up with the phrase “4 S’s” to refer to the four primary categories of circumstances that impact a person’s capacity to adjust to a transition in their life (Sueningrum, et al 2022). These predetermined components include the situation, self, social support and strategy. In this section of the essay, I will analyze each of the four factors, beginning with the situation. The term “situation” is used to refer to an individual’s outlook on the process of transitioning. This perspective may be seen as either favorable or negative, as well as unexpected or anticipated. It also relates to a person’s perspective of the shift in terms of timing, triggers, amount of control, and the needed job change. Some people are more adept at handling transitions than others, depending on whether they perceive the shift to be timely, under their control, stress-free, or whether they have prior experience with the transition and have managed it well in the past. An example of a situation scenario is when a medical student successfully graduates into an enrolled health professional. This transition would be expected and the student will feel the situation to be in their control as he or she knows what is expected of them on getting at the medical centers. This student will also be aware of the change of roles from studying to actual practice. The second component centers on oneself and may be divided into two sub factors: the personal and the psychological (Sueningrum, et al 2022). Personal or demographic characteristics, such as one’s financial status, gender, age, or race, might have an impact on one’s attitude on transition. Psychological traits include one’s point of view, ego values, and degree of dedication. Based on the example above, a young and energetic transitioning student is capable of adapting quicker than old students. Also if the student is humble rather than a self-publicist or is dedicated to practicing, he or she will have less difficulty with adjusting to the change. Subsequently, we have support, which may also be called social support, and it pertains to how helpful close connections, networks of friends, and family units can be in providing support throughout the transition process. One can receive support such as financial by having money loaned to them when needed. Being supportive at a person’s time of change may sometimes be emotional by having family and close friends there whenever the transition is hard. The fourth and last factor is strategy. These are methods that one employs in order to lessen the strain of the transition. For instance, persons who are in the process of transitioning may choose to alleviate their stress by maintaining contact with their loved ones, by meditating, or by engaging in physical activity.
Barriers to transition
One category of this section is the personal and financial barriers. Personal factors, such as low confidence or unpleasant interactions with patients or coworkers, fall under this category of challenges. One monetary challenge is a shortage of resources, such as money to buy the necessary transitional instruments. If an individual lacks enough money, they might not be able to afford professional help in the event of a challenging life transition. This obstacle could form a barrier to a successful transition. The second group of barriers consists of those that are of an emotional and physical nature. Anxiety, rage, or pride may all be examples of emotional obstacles (NIH, 2019). During times of change, a person may experience anger against himself or others for a variety of reasons, including unjust treatment in their newly acquired areas of specialty. Pride can also be a barrier to a smooth transition, such as in the case where an enrolled nurse refuses to acknowledge or carry out the directives of her or his superiors because of their superior sense of self-esteem. The environment structures, distance, and the technological obstacles are all examples of physical barriers. Environmental obstacles are caused by the location from which a person is transitioning, thus they vary from person to person. It is possible that someone who moves from a rural location to a city would have a tough time transitioning while adjusting to city life.
The third category is career decision making and planning barriers. Making professional choices is an important part of building a career and is likely to be linked to one’s professional goals, most notably one’s career anticipations (NIH, 2019). An obstacle that may arise during a transition is the decision to pursue an unplanned professional path. Placement seeking involves actively looking for an employment position. Another challenge is based on the placement seeking knowledge as the time and effort required to locate relevant data could be tedious. Lack of knowledge and skills such as communication during placement seeking also acts as a barrier to transition. Another major challenge that must be surmounted throughout the shift to professional practice is education and training barriers. For instance, if nurse interns do not train on how to properly use hospital equipment, or lack the skills to interact with patients, these individuals may find it difficult to transition
Conclusion
Schlossberg cane up with the transition theory and defined it as an event or a nonevent that changes our normal routines and responsibilities. She also developed the 4S’s system which involves factors that affects a person’s capacity to cope with a transition. As explained in the essay, the system shows that different people respond differently to transitions. Schlossberg also gave different barriers to transition and the essay gives brief explanations and examples of each one of them.
References
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Lindstrom, D. D. (2019). From Community College Faculty to Dean: Using Schlossberg’s Transition Theory to Understand the Transition Experience. https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=hied_etds
Choi, H. J., & Im Jung, K. (2018). Moderating effects of career decision-making self-efficacy and social support in the relationship between career barriers and job-seeking stress among nursing students preparing for employment. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration, 24(1), 61-72. https://synapse.koreamed.org/articles/1051962
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