Original Article
Transitioning Into the Nurse Practitioner Role Through Mentorship

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2011.02.004Get rights and content

Transitioning into the nurse practitioner (NP) role is stressful. The stress arises from both internal or personal and external or organizational and professional sources. The novice NP may have a sense of inadequacy and lack of confidence in the ability to provide optimal patient care. The organizational expectations to be clinically competent and able to meet the demands of a complex health care system can be overwhelming. Most NP programs excel in their ability to provide the didactic information and clinical exposure necessary for the beginning-level practitioner; however, additional guidance and support are essential for the novice NP to evolve into an expert clinical practitioner. To this end, mentorship is an effective transition strategy for novice NPs. An awareness of the many stressors facing the novice NP, the benefits of mentorship, and how an effective mentoring relationship can ease the transition establishes sound rationale for mentoring as a strategy for optimal transitioning into the NP role.

Section snippets

Stages of the Transition

According to Brown & Olshansky (1998), novice NPs commonly go through four stages in the first year of practice, with each stage having distinct characteristics. “Laying the foundation” is the first stage, which occurs when novice NPs begin the groundwork for their future practice by recovering from the intensity of school, writing their professional examination, receiving a license, and looking for employment. This stage is often characterized by worry and anxiety, primarily related to passing

The Benefits of Mentorship

Mentoring is a unique relationship between an expert and a novice with the goal of passing on the knowledge and skills of the expert to the novice. In this long-term relationship, the mentor (i.e., the expert) guides the mentee (i.e., the novice) while creating a supportive environment and facilitating growth and development (Hayes, 1999, Hayes, 2005). Ideally, the mentee, the mentor, and the organization benefit from the mentoring relationship. The following overview highlights the benefits of

Easing the Transition Through Effective Mentorship

NPs are expected to have advanced diagnostic skills, critical thinking abilities, and knowledge of pharmacotherapy and disease treatment. Although graduate schools teach novice NPs the essential knowledge and skills required for a beginning-level practitioner, there is still a very steep learning curve in the initial year as an NP. In a recent descriptive correlational study (N = 208) of the role transition from RN to family NP (FNP), participants reported that their clinical preceptors

Conclusion

Novice NPs who are transitioning into their first year of practice experience much stress and anxiety as they are learning the NP role and attempting to meet the demands of the health care system. Although, there is a lack of evidence regarding this transition period, an effective mentorship experience is central to an efficient transition into the NP role. Mentorship is also the key to developing novice NPs into health care providers who are able to provide safe and competent care while

References (27)

  • G.A. Lee et al.

    A clinical internship model for the nurse practitioner programme

    Nurse Education in Practice

    (2008)
  • M. Andrews et al.

    Mentorship in nursing: A literature review

    Journal of Advanced Nursing

    (1999)
  • E.R. Barker

    Mentoring: A complex relationship

    Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

    (2006)
  • P.C. Beecroft et al.

    New graduate nurses' perceptions of mentoring: Six-year programme evaluation

    Journal of Advanced Nursing

    (2006)
  • L.M. Block et al.

    The value of mentorship within nursing organizations

    Nursing Forum

    (2005)
  • M. Brown et al.

    From limbo to legitimacy: A theoretical model of the transition to the primary care nurse practitioner role

    Nursing Research

    (1997)
  • M. Brown et al.

    Becoming a primary care nurse practitioner: Challenges of the initial year of practice

    The Nurse Practitioner

    (1998)
  • Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, & Canadian Nurses Association

    Nursing education in Canada statistics 2006–2007

  • M.A. Draye et al.

    Surviving the proving ground: Lessons in change from NP pioneers

    The Nurse Practitioner

    (2000)
  • D. Fang et al.

    2008–2009 enrollment and graduations in baccalaureate and graduate programs in nursing

    (2009)
  • M.A. Gray et al.

    The qualities of an effective mentor from the student nurse's perspective: Findings from a longitudinal qualitative study

    Journal of Advanced Nursing

    (2000)
  • E. Hayes

    Mentoring and self-efficacy for advanced nursing practice: A philosophical approach for nurse practitioner preceptors

    Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

    (1998)
  • E.F. Hayes

    Mentoring and nurse practitioner student self-efficacy

    Western Journal of Nursing Research

    (1998)
  • Cited by (54)

    • Mentoring role effectiveness and satisfaction during internship training: A psychometric evaluation of Saudi nursing interns

      2022, Collegian
      Citation Excerpt :

      However, there could be slight differences in the process from training hospitals in other regions of the country. During internship training, the transition from nurse interns to professional nurses poses issues and challenges that make the interns vulnerable and stressed (Hill & Sawatzky, 2011; Huybrecht, Loeckx, Quaeyhaegens, De Tobel, & Mistiaen, 2011; Tabloski, 2016). Considering such issues and challenges during training, mentors play significant roles in interns’ development into professional nurses (Hilli, Salmu, & Jonsen, 2014) and help them achieve a successful transition (Tabloski, 2016).

    • Expanding a Transition-to-Practice Program Into a Rural Residency

      2021, Journal for Nurse Practitioners
      Citation Excerpt :

      With the increased skills and responsibilities associated with rural practice, NPs need to feel and be prepared to handle complex patient care needs. However, new NP graduates can have a sense of inadequacy or lack confidence in their abilities when support and resources are limited.13,14 Transitional support can be particularly effective for improved role satisfaction and preparedness for new NPs in rural settings.14,15

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text