• Lyn Croxon, Linda Deravin, and Judith Anderson.
• School of Nursing, Midwifery & Indigenous Health, Charles Sturt University, Dubbo, NSW, Australia.
• J Clin Nurs. 2018 Jan 1; 27 (1-2): 337-344.

Aims And ObjectivesThis article explores the perceptions of new graduate nurses around their readiness for practice when faced with death and dying within the workplace, particularly in rural hospital and community nursing settings.BackgroundAn essential consideration for nurses in the care of people with life-limiting illness is the extent of their preparation for this area of practice. Nurses need to be aware of a multitude of compounding factors that will influence how and where the person is cared for. Despite significant literature about how to provide end of life education to undergraduate nurses there is little in the literature that explores the experiences of new graduate nurses.DesignThis paper reports on a qualitative interpretative study with data collected in seven semi-structured interviews.MethodParticipants were invited to be interviewed with an online mail-out to Alumni who had graduated between 1-2 years earlier. A thematic analysis of the interviews was then conducted.ResultsFour themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the interviews. These were; the role of the new graduate in palliative care, preparation for palliative care in undergraduate nursing curricula, readiness for dealing with death and dying, and gaps in educational preparation.ConclusionsWhile palliative care is viewed as an important aspect of undergraduate nursing education, it is recognised as an area of practice that undergraduate nurses feel they are not adequately prepared for. This study identifies the need to incorporate skills such as having conversations and communicating effectively with patients and families experiencing end of life issues.Relevance To Clinical PracticeGraduate nurses feel they are not adequately prepared for end of life care which demonstrates the need for quality end of life care education in undergraduate nursing curricula.© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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