Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
9-22-2025
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Paige Wimberley
Abstract
New graduate nurses (NGNs), who constitute the majority of the nursing workforce, face significant challenges due to high patient acuity, staffing shortages, and long shifts, resulting in risks of burnout, turnover, and impaired patient care. Transition to practice programs, or nurse residency programs (NRPs), are evidence-based solutions designed to support NGNs effectively in their transition to the profession. A key component of NRPs is mentoring, which provides longitudinal support to ease this transition. Research shows that mentorship is associated with increased feelings of support, self-confidence, resilience, and competence among NGNs, while also reducing stress. A needs assessment at the project site revealed that the existing accredited NRP lacked ongoing support after the initial orientation, leading to decreased feelings of support among NGNs. In response, this quality improvement (QI) project aimed to integrate mentorship into the NRP using the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) model and guided by Watson’s Unitary Caring Science and Resilience Model and Lewin’s Model for Change. A pre and post quasi-experimental design was employed, measuring outcomes through the Casey-Fink New Graduate Experience (CFE) survey at day one and month six. Results indicated that NGNs with mentorship reported increased feelings of support from day one (M = 3.38) to month six (M = 3.40), while those without mentorship experienced a decline from day one to month six. This aligns with existing evidence emphasizing the importance of mentorship during the new graduate’s transition to practice. Despite limitations such as a small sample size and a lack of qualitative data, the findings advocate for healthcare leaders to implement structured mentorship in NRPs to ensure new nurses receive the guidance necessary for success in their roles.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Roberson, Sherry L., "Quality Improvement Project Integration of Mentoring into a Registered Nurse Transition to Practice Program" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 226.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/226
