Nurses' experiences with "reality shock": A phenomenological study

Objective: This study was conducted to reveal the reality shock experiences of newly graduated nurses and to analyze their feelings and thoughts about reality shock. Method: This research was carried out in the descriptive phenomenologyndesign, which is one of the qualitative research methods, in order to examine the reality shock experiences of nurses who have just started working. The population of the research consisted of nurses who started working at Akdeniz University Hospital between the years 2021-2022. In determining the sample, 11 nurses between 0-1 years who have just started the job defined in Benner's "From Novice to Expert" model were included in the study. Data; It was collected through in-depth interviews with individuals with Personal Information Form and Semi-Structured Interview Form. Colaizzi's data analysis method was used in the analysis of the data Results: Three main themes and 11 sub-themes were obtained in the study. Under the main theme of a complex new life, there are the themes of "freedom of being alone", "excitement of learning", "crisis/depression", "fear" and "disruption of routine". The second main theme of the study, high expectation-task and time pressure, has two sub-themes: "being stuck between the necessity of being perfect without orientation" and "putting high expectations on oneself". The sub-themes of the last theme, facing reality, were determined as "frustration", "urgent decision making effort", "fear of the patient's world", "seeking help". Conclusion: As a result of the study, it has been determined that the nurses who have just started to work experience disappointment due to the fact that their expectations are not fulfilled when they enter the working life, they are afraid of harming the patient due to their lack of professional knowledge and skills, they need support to facilitate their adaptation to the profession, and their duty-responsibilities are high and the negative working environment triggers reality shock. Key words: New beginner nurse, reality shock, phenomenology, qualitative analysis