Schlossberg's Framework For Nursing Transition: Discussion And Evaluation

Transition is a crucial factor in deciding the fate of nursing and care delivery at large. It is the process of moving into professional role form Academics Or Theoretical Curriculums (Barclay, 2017). In transition, there is marked role of responsibilities, roles, and goals, and the leap form one state to the other. Theoretically, transition seems to be fluid and smooth process, which is indeed not the case in reality. Panic, tensions, issues anxieties, and job burn outs are common in transitioning form nursing student into professional nursing. The ‘Schlossberg’s Transition Theory’ is one of the most important and useful theory concerning proper analysis and explanation of nursing transition (Tham & Lynch, 2019). The paper will evaluate and discuss transition framework in nursing based on Schlossberg’s theory of transition.

Transition is any event or non-event that are associated with any form of change form one state to another (Schlossberg, 2011). There are also changes in some other factors with transition as far as any profession is concerned. In nursing, transition plays a pivotal role in deciding the fate of the process and hence the quality of service delivery (Patterson, 2020). Hence, in the present time, concerning the state of the global healthcare that has just recovered from a stern battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, transition has become an area of attention to the policymakers, nursing managers, and leaders of the global healthcare field. Transition is nursing alone makes a lot of difference concerning the outcomes that are attached with nursing transition from student life to professional life. Along with transition, changes in relationships, non-events, and events are attached deeply (Wall et al., 2018). Schlossberg has also mentioned that transition is also instrumental in shaping an individual’s perception of their job roles especially at the very doorstep when they are just introduced in the setting. He has also mentioned that transition differs from individual to individual and how they have transitioned into the professional roles. According to Schlossberg, transition is the event or non-event that is attached with changes in roles, assumptions, routines, and relationships over a period of time (Tham & Lynch, 2019). Transition is seen differently in the context of nursing, however, for the paper, Schlossberg’s model will be analysed concerning the professional transition of a nursing student from academics into professional practice in a healthcare (McKitterick et al., 2021).

There are three major category of transition in nursing as per Schlossberg such as unanticipated transitions, anticipated transitions, and non-events. In non-event transitions, there are three categories such as ripple non-event, resultant non-event, delayed non-event (Schmitt & Schiffman, 2019). Anticipated transitions occur in a predictable way such as graduating from colleges. Unanticipated transitions are events that are not predictable in nature and has schedules that are non-foreseen, and deaths of near and dear ones can also be counted in the same category. In non-event transitions, one can predict their occurrence but in most cases, they do not happen in reality and hence are suffered due to failure to get admission in medical schools, personal meetings, and relation with respect to individual aspirations (Wall et al., 2020). Rippled non-events are felt due to a non-event that are committed or carried out by someone else. In delayed non-events, anticipation is made that an event can still occur in the near future or might still happen down the line. Resultant non-event is caused by an event. Another term that is very important concerning nursing transition is ‘context’ which means an individual’s relationship with  a transition taking place in relation to a certain healthcare setting (in case of nursing) (Schlossberg, 2011). ‘Impact’ is another significant term in this direction that refers to the degree to which a transition hampers, influences, shapes, and alters one’s life (Lee & Lin, 2021).

Schlossberg's Theory of Transition

Schlossberg has mentioned four steps in helping an individual to cope with a new situation or challenge or for this case, a setting of transition. He defined ‘4S’s that is a tool of situation, support, strategies, and self (Schlossberg, 2011). In analysing one’s ability of transition, these four factors are required to be concerned for assessing the scope of successful transition (Pleshkan & Boykins, 2022). Situation is based on factors such as timing, triggers, role change, and control, previous experience with a similar situation, assessment, and concurrent stress. The first point in analysing transition and in the first S that is situation, triggers is very important. Triggers initiate a transition and it must be known that what is precipitating the transition. Timing is the next factor; it refers to the span of time on which the transition is a subject to a social clock. Control is the next factor that depicts the degree of association to which an individual perceives their control on the course of transition. Role change is the next factor of ‘Situation’ which governs an individual’s role and how is it seen either as loss or gain (Monoghan, 2022). The duration of a situation is also important and if it is uncertain, permanent or temporary are concerned. Past experiences with a similar kind of a situation is also instrumental and it helps one in responding to a certain situation. Concurrent stress is the next factor and it acts either as a facilitator or an inhibitor of the situation concerned along with assessment of the transition responsibly and how it impacts the behaviour of the concerned individual or subject (Wall, 2016). ‘Self’ is the second ‘S’ that further depends on two broad group of factors such as personal and demographic characteristics, socioeconomic factors, ethnicity, cultural aspects, and resources of psychological nature such as outlook, ethnicity, values, commitment, and ego development. The third ‘S’, ‘social support’ further depends on further conditions such as family units, networks of friends, communities and institutions, and intimate relationships. ‘Strategies for coping with further responses’ is the fourth factor that further depends on the individuals or groups that give a definite meaning to the problem, people that aid in stress management, and those that edits and does modification to the situation (Seimetz, 2019).

As a form of evaluation of Schlosberg’s theory, it can be said that there has been marked impact of his model and framework in deciding the shape of a transition process. Earlier on, huge number of deposition cases of Enrolled Nurses (ENs) was very common in the Australian healthcare care setting (Chachula et al., 2020). Transition in this context refers to their leap from EN to Registered Nurses (RNs). Challenges that the ENs face during  their professional induction in the way of RNs are isolation, anxiety, stress, poor job satisfaction, fear, denial, inability to fulfil professional responsibilities, and looking after he technical aspects. These issues collectively shape and govern lives of thousands of ENs during their transition to RNs. Schlossberg’s first ‘S’, situation tells that it is dependent on several factors as discussed in earlier on such as triggers, timing, role change, control, duration, concurrent stress, assessment, and previous experience with similar transition (Jacob et al., 2016). With reference to theory and the first ‘S’ it can be related to the situational problems that ENs in Australia during their professional transition which gets heavily impacted due to the factors as discussed such as stress, anxiety, isolation, work-life balance, and extended working hours (Schlossberg, 2011). Lack of social support from seniors and other staff or members of the healthcare world are factors comparable with the third ‘S’ of Schlossberg’s theory, ‘social support’. Often the ENs could have been cared and nurtured more if RNs could help and guide them positively (Blay & Smith, 2020). This way, they could also be helped in learning from situational grounds with factors most important for enhanced retention rates of the ENs. The second ‘S’ of Schlossberg’s model, ‘self’ can be supported via the psychosocial and demographic factors that ENs face and gets motivated to step down. Additionally, the case of repeated events of mass resignation of ENs, what steps and responses in form of measures are taken by RNs and concerned authorities can be traced down by the fourth ‘S’ of Schlossberg’s theory, ‘Strategies for coping with further responses’ . How the concerned authorities defines and approaches this very problem is instrumental to the further direction of nursing transitions (Barclay, 2017).

The Three Major Categories of Transition in Nursing

Conclusion

The paper evaluated and discussed transition framework in nursing based on Schlossberg’s theory of transition. Transition plays a pivotal role in deciding the fate of the process and hence the quality of service delivery as far as nursing is concerned. Hence, in the present time, concerning the state of the global healthcare that has just recovered from a stern battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, transition has become an area of attention to the policymakers, nursing managers, and leaders of the global healthcare field. It was found that Schlossberg’s transition theory of nursing is instrumental in deciding the outcome of an healthcare and improving the healthcare service delivery. It is high time to ponder into the high attrition rates of the ENs in Australia in their journey to RNs. Adequate policy steps, intervention by governments, support and guidance by RNs, and long-term vision to address the issues of transition shall be conducted with immediate effect or else, the situation may exacerbate further.

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