From university student to registered nurse: the perennial enigma

Crucial issues related to the transition from university student to registered nurse are addressed, through a review of the literature. The considerable literature in this area indicates three distinct approaches in examining this question: there are personal and professional deficits which the new graduate must make up, the formal content of the university curriculum is deficient and must be replaced, the socio-political and professional contexts of practice constrains beginning practice. Each of these approaches is examined here in the expectation that uncovering these issues will encourage employers and educators to work together to resolve some of the current conflicts and difficulties inherent in the transition from university student to registered nurse. Various models of transition in current use are then explored, since support for the graduate is paramount for provision of a cost effective and efficient nursing service in a rapidly changing health service environment.