Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Aug 27;24(1):1119.
doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-03790-7.

Navigating transition: a qualitative study on the clinical challenges faced by Chinese nursing master's graduates

Yanchi Wang #  1   2 , Wei Huang #  2 , Xujuan Xu  3 , Qing Xia  4 , Jian Gu  5
Affiliations

Navigating transition: a qualitative study on the clinical challenges faced by Chinese nursing master's graduates

Yanchi Wang et al. BMC Nurs. .

Abstract

Background: The transition of nursing master's degree graduates to clinical practice involves complex challenges that can affect patient care and professional satisfaction. Empirical research on this transition in China is notably sparse, highlighting a significant research gap.

Objective: To explore the challenges faced by Chinese postgraduate nursing master's students in their clinical work post-graduation using a qualitative approach informed by Meleis' Transition Theory.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, utilizing phenomenological methods to investigate the clinical challenges faced by Chinese nursing master's graduates. Fifteen graduates of the master's degree in Nursing from four tertiary hospitals in Nantong, China, participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted from June to August 2024. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results: Six main themes were identified: (1) Professional Identity and Role Conflict, (2) Education and Practice Disconnection, (3) Dissatisfaction with Salary and Development Prospects, (4) Workload Overload and Sustainability Dilemmas, (5) Continuous education and professional title promotion pressure, and (6) Insufficient Research Resources and Support. These six themes are interconnected and mutually influence each other, collectively impacting the transition experience of nursing master's graduates.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the multifaceted challenges faced by nursing master's graduates in clinical practice. These insights have significant clinical implications for improving the transition experience and professional development of advanced nursing professionals, ultimately enhancing patient care quality. They also underscore the need for policy initiatives that align nursing education with clinical practice and provide robust support systems for new graduates, ensuring a smoother transition from academic to clinical settings.

Keywords: Clinical work; Meleis’ transition theory; Nursing master’s graduates; Phenomenological research; Qualitative research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Sixth People’s Hospital of Nantong (Ethics approval number: NTLYLL2024028). All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations (Declaration of Helsinki). All the participants provided informed consent to participate in the study voluntarily. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Six themes of challenges for Chinese nursing master’s graduates in clinical work
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Persolja M. General nurses’ and nursing technicians’ complexity of activities: cross-sectional study. J Nurs Manag. 2021;29(7):2175–82. - PubMed
    1. Fu X, You L, Liu X, Zheng J, Gubrud-Howe P, Liu J, Li M, Wan L. Developing trends of initial nursing education in China from 2006 to 2017: a descriptive analysis based on national-level data. Nurse Educ Today. 2022;110:105271. - PubMed
    1. Zhang H, Luo D, Lu Y, Zhu H, Zhang G, Li M. Growth and challenges of china’s nursing workforce from 1998 to 2018: A retrospective data analysis. Int J Nurs Stud. 2021;124:104084. - PubMed
    1. Xie C, Li L, Li Y. Wheels stuck in the mud: a qualitative study of experiences of academic burnout in graduate nursing students. Nurse Educ Today. 2024;140:106287. - PubMed
    1. Jiang H, Zhang T, Zhang S, Ma H, Luo Y. Nursing postgraduates learning experience of professional curriculum in china: a qualitative study. Nurs Open. 2024;11(7):e2244. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources