Healthcare systems are evolving to meet the demands of an aging population whereby the provision of healthcare: Health & Social Care Assignment, SMU, Singapore

Healthcare systems are evolving to meet the demands of an aging population whereby the provision of healthcare services in the community has increased to alleviate the burden faced by acute care health facilities. As a result, the number of community nurses is expected to increase in order to meet the demand. Several studies have identified the unique challenges faced by the growing responsibilities of community nurses.

However, fewer studies focused on the experiences of nurses transitioning to become community nurses as they rise to meet the unique challenges of working in the community. This study aimed to explore the experiences of nurses’ transitions into community care while gaining insight into the transition process. The study adopted the exploratory qualitative approach. Data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews with 14 community nurses in Singapore.

Interview sessions were digitally recorded and transcribed into verbatim, and the thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Three major themes and nine subthemes were developed from the data from 14 interviews. The three major themes are: ‘Changes in Dynamics in a Nurse–Patient Relationship’, ‘To Live Up to Expectations’, and ‘Negotiating the Landscape in the Community’. New community nurses are experiencing stress and struggling to adapt to performing nursing care in uncontrolled environments.

Additionally, higher expectations have been set on them even when they are still in transition. It is important to provide support for nurses, including in-service talks, courses, and formal orientation programs. The study findings highlighted the importance of adequately preparing new community nurses and provided insights on developing a customized formal orientation program. This study also contributed to the limited body of knowledge with respect to nurses’ transition experiences into community care.