The North Carolina evidence-based transition-to-practice initiative

Successful transition of newly licensed nurses into practice is essential for safe nursing practice. North Carolina has begun an initiative to implement an evidence-based formal transition-to-practice requirement for all newly licensed entry-level nurses in the state by 2015. Phase I of this collaborative project uses a longitudinal design to study new nurse-preceptor dyads. Resulting data will describe competence and confidence development in newly licensed North Carolina RNs practicing in acute care hospitals. Longitudinal data about practice errors and risk for practice breakdown in the first 6 months of the newly licensed nurse's employment will also be collected. The study will provide data to determine the essential components of this evidence-based transition requirement and will contribute to the evidence base for best practices related to transition experiences for newly licensed RNs.