Emory Becoming an APRN

Here is a recent commentary written by two nursing professors from the University of Pennsylvania SON about nurse residency programs. Until reading this article, I was not aware that the IOM recommends residency programs for nurses who complete an advanced practice degree program. Currently, data illustrates that these programs improve practitioner confidence and strengthen NP role identity; however, there is a lack of data showing the impact of these programs on patient outcomes. These professors believe that residences should not be mandated but rather encouraged.

By Stephanie Tillman, CNM, MSN I have come to believe that one of the hallmarks of a great midwifery practice is ability to integrate new midwives....

This article describes the orientation process used in a pediatric cardiac center for APNs to increase confidence in skills, knowledge of role, mentorship, and NP retention during the first year of practice.

Course concentrating on transition to APRN practice

Can access full text by clicking the the link on the top of the page

Great article on nursing residency programs and the opportunities they provide. BONUS- includes insight from an Emory NP Alum who completed a residency program in Washington!!

Faced with a shortage of primary care doctors, more and more clinics are relying on nurse practitioners to fill the gap. But that creates another gap, in the level of training providers bring to the job. Residency programs--once reserved for physicians--are popping up for nurse practitioners as well.

This article discusses the external and internal stressors a novice nurse practitioner will experience in the first few years of his, or her, career. It then discusses the four phases that an NP can expect to endure as they become more confident in the field. Many stressor come from aspects of the job that include billing, referrals and even ownership of ones role as a primary care provider. This piece offers mitigation to the previous stressors with the introduction of a mentor.

New advance practice nurses can use these tips to help them face the challenges of their new positions.

J Prof Nurs. 2013 Nov-Dec;29(6):350-8. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2012.10.011.

Great article on NP residency programs and how they could really benefit NP grads transitioning into practice.

Exploring the Factors That Influence Nurse Practitioner Role Transition

This article discusses the stressors that a novice NP may face in providing quality care. Many programs provide adequate content and clinical exposure, but mentorship may be an effective strategy for novice NPs to transition into the role of a competent healthcare provider.

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenology (van Manen, 1990) was to gain insight into the meaning and lived experience of nurse practitioners (NP) with at least one year of work experience regarding their initial transition from new graduate to hospital-based practitioner. This study provided information regarding NP hospital-based transition experience that had not been revealed in the nursing literature. The meaning of transitioning into hospital-based practice was discovered through analysis of nurse practitioner letters and interviews in this phenomenological study. Six themes emerged from this research including: Going from expert RN to novice NP; system integration; "Don't Give Up"; Learning "On the Fly"; They Don't Understand my NP Role; and Succeeding Through Collaboration.   Master's prepared, board-certified NPs in North Carolina (NC) with between one and three years of NP practice experience in a hospital setting comprised the population of interest for this study. Twelve participants were purposefully sampled from nine hospitals in NC. Individual, voice-recorded, in-depth, open-ended telephone interviews were conducted with each participant.   The majority of the participants indicated a timeframe that ranged from six to 18 months regarding how long it took them to feel more comfortable in their NP role, the lack of comfort was most intense during the first nine months of practice. Participants confronted multiple obstacles and challenges as new NPs. These challenges included navigating and negotiating a new health care provider role; becoming integrated into a hospital system in what was a new role for them and sometimes for the system; learning how to function effectively as a NP while simultaneously working to re-establish themselves as proficient clinicians with a newly expanded practice scope; building key relationships; and educating physicians, hospital leaders, clinical staff, patients, and families about the NP

Discusses challenges faced by new NP grads as they transition from student to NP.

This article describes feeling like a fraud once in a new role as an advanced practice nurse. It also speaks to how this is a normal feeling and suggests different ways to cope with these feelings to make the transition easier.