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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be to describe an intervention that supports nursing students to transition to professional practice.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will discuss ways to reduce hospital orientation programs through collaboration with nursing programs
It is essential that nurse leaders in regulation, education and practice work together to provide all new graduates with support during their critical transition period, beginning in the senior year of nursing programs to prepare students to begin to meet the challenges of transitions to practice.
Other health professions have standardized residency programs. In nursing transition programs vary and some are nonexistent. As advances in medical science and technology support expanding populations served, nurses are required to master complex information, use technology for health care delivery, evaluate nursing outcomes and assist patients with managing increasingly complex systems of care. Nursing education must prepare students to meet these challenges beginning at the undergraduate level and continuing through the orientation process. Patients in today’s health care environment are sicker, and are discharged sooner with more complex medical, social, environmental and economic issues. With attention on medical errors in all medical systems, it is imperative that nurses are prepared to face challenges of nursing care and at the same time maintain standards of care including safety and quality outcomes for patients and families.
Another issue facing stakeholders is the high cost of orienting new nurses. It is estimated hospitals spend 15,000 to 75,000 per person on orientation programs. For these employers it is important to employ nurses who are prepared to work in this complex environment, in a timely fashion and maintain them as long term employees. In response to the issues facing new graduates a program has been developed with the medical center and the university to align the undergraduate nursing education in the transitions to practice course with current hospital orientation pathways.
The goal of the program is reduction in cost, turnover and time in formal orientation but maintaining new nurses in AACN/University Health System Consortium Nurse residency program.
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