Creating field notes is essential. The researcher made detailed written descriptions of behaviours such as facial expressions, body language, voice inflections, reactions and the settings of the participants. These quick and valuable descriptive notes allowed for meaning-making during the research study (Holloway & Galvin, 2017:117). This process helped the researcher to explore and engage with the data. Field notes were completed directly after interviews while the information was still fresh in memory, capturing all details of the interview. Field notes were not recorded during the interviews as the researcher ensured that the participants were not disturbed during the time of sharing their most personal experiences regarding the phenomenon of this study.
3.5.1 Theoretical notes
Theoretical notes were completed from the one-on-one unstructured in-depth interviews with participants. These notes were compiled from observations of participants’ behaviours, reactions, as well as the setting where the data were collected. The data were analysed through reviewing transcripts, and listening assiduously to the audio-taped interviews, not just to hear the participants’ words but to also hear how those words were spoken (Patten & Newhart, 2017:22). Through attentive listening and written field notes, meanings were made from the participants’ lived experiences of their everyday roles as newly qualified professional nurses (Yin, 2016:9). Related meanings that were identified evolved into themes which assisted the researcher to clearly outline the study, conferring to the purpose and objective of the research study.
3.5.2 Methodological notes
In order for the researcher to gain insight and elicit information of the phenomenon under study, the methods for data collection utilised were unstructured in-depth interviews, audio-taping of the interviews, observations and recording of field notes (Holloway & Galvin, 2017:89). An open-ended question addressed to the participants during the interviews allowed for gathering significant and detailed information. This was the framework that permitted the participants to express their experiences in their own words. The method allowed the researcher to be able to gather data of similar types from all participants. Probing the participants on their views regarding their experiences of the phenomenon enhanced the fundamentals of the research study (Waltz, et al. 2017:341). Capturing the experiences through audio-taping and observations provided a great depth of information to the researcher by seizing the intricacy of the participants’ experiences (Brown, 2017:167). Throughout the interview process, the researcher remained mindful to achieve the purpose of the study and to explore the phenomenon of the study. The participants were at liberty to answer at length so that in-depth information could be acquired, providing rich data to the study (Holloway & Galvin, 2017:91).
3.5.3 Observational Notes
Observations is a method by which data is gathered by viewing specific behaviours of the participants under study. These notes involve identifying and reading behaviours that occur during the unstructured in-depth interviews. Observational notes are a prevalent data collection method in qualitative research. Although behaviour is an important aspect and central to observing, the environment and its surrounding conditions, including characteristics of the participants, is observed (Waltz, et al. 2017:178).
Participants were eager to be part of the study and felt a sense of relief after their interviews were conducted. The observational data were predominantly valuable for capturing the participants’ immediate responses to disturbed actions (Brown, 2017:166). A response of a participant breathing deeply revealed that this phenomenon was a challenge, with pressures of being a new professional nurse and also getting oriented to the new environment.
Observational notes were recorded immediately after each observed unstructured in- depth interview was conducted.
3.5.4 Personal notes
By conducting the interviews, the researcher was able to obtain a deeper understanding and in-depth information about the lived experiences of the participants involved in the study. At first, I had thought that the planning between the two private hospitals was going to be difficult, but I had the support in that the topic seemed to draw interest from the participants very quickly.
During these unstructured in-depth interviews, it was evident that suddenly these participants were standing alone with a mixed sense of emotions. Emotions of accomplishment for which they had dreamed of becoming a professional nurse from the very beginning of their training but also those emotions that heightened awareness to more responsibility and accountability, emotions for fear of the unknown, feelings of frustration to learn everything, anxiety for fear of making
mistakes as they were expected to know everything. These fears and anxiety returned a negative impact on the newly qualified professional nurses’ confidence, profoundly questioning oneself as to whether or not, they were doing the right thing. As newly qualified professional nurses the support structures that protected and guided them were no longer there. This provided a sense of security for them as students but then came face-to-face with the reality of the practice.
As the researcher for this study, a vital task had to be accomplished as entrusted by the participants of the study. That their voices of real lived experiences be heard through this study. The researcher had then realised that commencing this study was not the key to success, it was how the study would relate the experiences of their lived stories through a completed research study for every person who plays a role in this transition journey to read.
The study has explored and described the valuable verbatim experiences of newly qualified professional nurses who eagerly shared their transition process in this study.