PERCEIVED LEVEL OF TRANSITION SHOCK AMONG NURSING INTERNS IN PUBLIC SECTOR HOSPITALS OF LAHORE

Abstract

Background: Transition shock is a challenging and terrifying process including an extensive spectrum of physical, emotional, intellectual and psychological changes when newly graduated nurses work in a professional practice setting for the first time. The study aimed to explore the perceived level of transition shock among nursing interns in public sector hospitals of Lahore.

Material and Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional study was conducted among 247 nursing interns in public sector hospitals of Lahore. Data was collected using convenience sampling technique from December 2025 to January 2026. A pretested “Transition Shock Scale” was used for data collection, and data was analyzed with SPSS version 27 using descriptive statistics.

Results: The current study investigated an overall mean score of 2.79 which indicated that the nursing interns experienced a relatively moderate level of transition shock, particularly in areas related to conflict between theoretical and practical aspects, confusion regarding professional nursing values and overwhelming workload. Meanwhile, loss of social support was the dimension with the least favorable mean score. 

Conclusion: The current study identified a moderate level of transition shock among nursing interns, primarily driven by conflicts between theory and practice. These results offer nursing managers and educators insightful information that may direct the development of nursing internship programs that help interns make smooth transitions to practice.