Role Transition
The transition from a novice student nurse to being an experienced professional nurse comes with a change of place, perspective, duties, expectations, opportunities, and understanding (Hampton et al., 2021). Students tends to view the role of the nurse through the eyes of academic learning, i.e., the classroom experience where the closest thing to real-world nursing they might have is a simulation in a lab. They have very limited clinical experience. Their knowledge, rather than being experiential, is shaped by theories, textbooks, simulated scenarios instead of real-world practice, and hypothetical situations. It is all part of the necessary process of becoming a nursebut at the novice entry-level stage, student nurses have very little to no sense of what is in store for them as a professional nurse: the long hours, the alarm fatigue, the risk of burnout, the possibility of workplace violence, the stress of not committing medical errors, and so on. These are all part of the professional nurses life. Student nurses are focused, however, on different thingslike getting a grasp of the clinical skills needed, gaining a grasp on cultural competence and other nurse competencies that will at least help them make the transition. Students are constantly learning and getting feedbackbut in this sense they are somewhat similar to professional nurses, too, who must constantly give and receive feedback and submit to continuous learning.
Still, experienced professional nurses tend to have a more practical or realistic sense...
…world of nursing. There should be easy access to continuing education opportunities, such as workshops, seminars, and advanced certifications. New nurses should be able to keep on developing their nursing competencies. They should be encouraged to join professional nursing organizations.
Overall, the roles of the professional nurse as seen by students emphasize technical skills and direct patient care, whereas experienced nurses view their responsibilities from the standpoint of practice and critical thinking, leadership, and collaboration. The transition from novice to experienced nurse is impacted by education, mentorship, work environment, personal attributes, and opportunities for professional development. New nurses should know that there is a leap from student to professional that has to be made, but there is help along the way…
