Transition to Practice Programs in Nursing: A Rapid Review

Background. Transition to practice can be exceedingly stressful for newly qualified nurses as they grapple with the “reality shock” of everyday practice as an RN. Transition to practice programs were implemented as a support strategy to ease the transition from student to RN and are designed to increase graduates’ confidence and competence, improve their professional adjustment, and increase their retention. Method. This rapid review was framed by the Cochrane Methods Rapid Review, supported by the PRISMA statement checklist, aiming to identify and describe the benefits of transition to practice programs for newly graduated RNs and their impact on workforce retention. Results. The literature revealed that mixed evidence exists regarding the value and benefits of graduate nurse transition programs to both the graduate and the health service. Conclusion. There are multiple inconsistencies across clinical settings, organizations, and preceptorship/mentoring training, among others, particularly in relation to duration of the program and the amount of formalized contact/study days.