Newly Licensed RN Competency
Effective transition-to-practice programs (TTPPs) for newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs) require validated methods to assess clinical competence. An international task force reviewed practices across six U.S. organizations to identify common approaches. Analysis revealed four themes: reliance on national competency frameworks, inconsistent assessment frequency, structured preceptor preparation, and varied validation tools. The findings show variability in assessment processes and underscore the need for standardized frameworks and robust preceptor training to strengthen TTPPs and improve NLRN practice-readiness.
Authors
- Julie Lavender
- Kathy Casey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7999-2764)
- Wendy Bowles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5747-8617)
- Kim Reina Failla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9791-417X)
- Dawn M. Nelson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1469-5515)
- M. Ellen Joswiak
- Jennifer Stephenson Zipp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8123-8208)
- Diane Shea
- Bridgette L. Bochner
Institutions
- University of Colorado Hospital (US)
- Colorado Department of Education (US)
- Mayo Clinic (US)
- Emmanuel College - Massachusetts (US)
- National Association of School Nurses (US)
- The Ohio State University (US)
- University of Colorado Denver (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal for Nurses in Professional Development
- Published
- 2026-02-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1097/nnd.0000000000001236
- Primary Topic
- Nursing education and management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00