Original ArticleTransitioning Into the Nurse Practitioner Role Through Mentorship
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
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