Nursing Seminar: The Lived Experience of Novice Registered Nurses as Managers of Pain

Current pain management curricula in nursing education programs continue to fall short in improving pain assessment and management practices and pain management outcomes. Historically, nurses have been responsible for providing comfort and alleviating suffering from pain. Therefore, the nursing profession is obligated to ensure that nursing education provides effective instruction regarding pain and pain management to meet the needs of registered nurses.  The purpose of this research was to examine the experiences of novice registered nurses as they transition into their registered nurse role as a manager of pain utilizing what they have learned about pain and pain management in the undergraduate program and/or continuing professional development.  A phenomenological hermeneutic approach was used. Eight novice registered nurses employed at a regional hospital were interviewed.  The overarching themes of tension between school and real life, navigating the RN-Patient relationship in pain management, and the practice of pain management inform what novice nurses experience as they transition from student to registered nurse in the role of manager of patient pain. Knowledge generated from this study can be used to better understand the experience of novice registered nurses in regards to pain management and enhance pain management curricula in undergraduate nursing education and continuing professional development.