title: Work readiness of graduate health professionals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current exploratory study investigated work readiness among graduate health professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  A critical incident technique was used to elicit perceptions regarding: strategies and skills that constitute work readiness among health professionals and the work readiness factors that help or hinder health graduates' transition and integration into the workplace. Fifteen medical graduates, 26 nursing graduates and five organisational representatives from a regional hospital in Victoria, Australia participated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected via qualitative interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants discussed a total of 92 critical incidents; 52 related to helping and 40 to hindering work readiness factors that impacted graduates' transition and integration experiences. A follow-up thematic analysis indentified four critical work readiness factors: social intelligence, organisational acumen, work competence and personal characteristics. While graduates and organisational representatives considered each factor important, some differences between the groups emerged. Organisational representative's perceived social intelligence and clinical skills critical graduate competencies, yet graduates were unprepared in these areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The identified work readiness factors were consistent with past research and warrant further investigation of work readiness among a larger group of graduate health professionals in a range of contexts.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. arlene.walker@deakin.edu.au
authors.forename: Arlene
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Mellissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Christie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fullarton
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: A M Trisha
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dunning
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D017008:Negotiating; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014739:Victoria; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration