Transition to Practice

Why Transition to Practice (TTP)?

“Authentic leaders are not made nor are they born; they are enabled or disabled by the organizations in which they work.” — David Leach, MD, Past Executive Director, ACGME

Over the years, NCSBN has looked at the issue of training and retention of new graduate nurses. They have found that the inability of new nurses to properly transition into new practice can have grave consequences.

The Problem	The Impact
New nurses care for sicker patients in increasingly complex health settings.	New nurses report more negative safety practices and errors than experienced nurses.
New nurses feel increased stress levels.	Stress is a risk factor for patient safety and practice errors.
Approximately 25% of new nurses leave a position within their first year of practice.	Increased turnover negatively influences patient safety and health care outcomes.

Health institutions with transition programs have seen a marked drop in attrition, along with improved patient outcomes. There is a need for best practices of training new nurses that can be replicated across the country to ensure consistent quality of care, and drop the alarming turnover rates of new nurses. Additionally, the Institute of Medicine in its Oct. 5, 2010, "Future of Nursing" report calls for the implementation and evaluation of nursing residency programs.

Study Results

Study results are currently being disseminated via multiple publications.