Transition to Professional Practice- Smoothing the Road

Abstract

Studies have shown that the first year of nursing practice is pivotal to nurses’ careers as a whole. Factors such as feelings of unprepardness, anxiety, uncertainty, lack of confidence, poor relationships, and incivility cause first-year turnover rates for new nurses to remain high. The challenges facing newly licensed registered nurses during their transition to practice journey are many and require ongoing research that provides information that may lead to interventions to ease the transition. The aim of this descriptive qualitative research study is to explore the lived experiences of graduates from a large nursing program in the Southeast as they transition from the student role to that of professional practicing nurse. The research findings will be used to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the university’s curriculum in preparing students’ for professional practice and identify opportunities for modification and improvement.