1. RUNNING HEAD: TRANSITION TO PRACTICE 1
Transition to Practice
Emily Jenkins
California Baptist University

2. RUNNING HEAD: TRANSITION TO PRACTICE 2
The idea of transitioning all of the knowledge, skills, and behaviors I have learned in
nursing school into practice as a registered nurse is exciting, terrifying, and overwhelming. There
are so many different things to worry about such as what is expected of me as far as knowledge
and skills, fear of the unknown, and the possibility of negative preceptors and nurses comparable
to, “sharks.” However, after spending time in clinical and researching the transition into practice,
I feel that I have been equipped to face the challenges ahead of me and to come out a stronger
nurse because of it.
David Leach, past executive director of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education states that, “authentic leaders are not made nor are they born; they are enabled or
disabled by the organizations in which they work.” In nursing, turnover rates for the first year of
practice are extremely high because of the level of stress, anxiety, and challenges that new nurses
face. Oftentimes, they are bullied by more seasoned nurses and decide that they do not want to
move further into their career for fear of judgment, rejection, and harassment. It is extremely
unfortunate that such a preventable issue drives nurses out of their profession that they worked
so hard to earn. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “stress is a risk
factor for patient safety and practice errors” (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2015).
When new nurses are put under this extreme stress, it is no longer safe for them to be caring for
patients. When transitioning into practice, I plan to take what I have learned about stress
management through nursing school and apply it to my career. Throughout nursing school, I’ve
been under a great deal of stress and had to learn a lot about time management. These skills can
be applied to my life as a registered nurse as well. I will also be able to take the knowledge and
skills that I’ve learned and apply those as well. At CBU, we have been taught to be leaders and
to advocate for our patients and ourselves. If I find myself in a situation that I am not

3. RUNNING HEAD: TRANSITION TO PRACTICE 3
comfortable with, I know that the best way to handle it is to approach the situation with honesty,
humility, and integrity. In using these life lessons, I believe I will be able to make it through my
first year of being a nurse and to move on successfully.

4. RUNNING HEAD: TRANSITION TO PRACTICE 4
References
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. NCSBN. N.p., 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.ncsbn.org/686.htm/media.php>.