Ways of being: Preparing nursing students for transition to professional practice

Background: The new graduate registered nurse (NGRN) does not work in isolation but within an organizational environment. Unfortunately for the NGRN, transition-to-practice programs are often variable and underresourced, which means that promised support is unlikely to eventuate. Many NGRNs learn the skills required to navigate the nursing culture on the job without support and by trial and error. Method: A grounded theory method was used to identify the strategies used by nine NGRNs to thrive during their transition to professional practice. Results: Ways of being emerged from the data to explain the social and emotional strategies NGRNs use during the first year of practice. The ways of being model includes ways of feeling, ways of relating, and ways of doing. Conclusion: University preparation needs to ensure that the NGRN is provided with the skills to successfully navigate the workplace. Use of the ways of being model could help achieve this.