Abstract
- Nurse practitioners (NP) are among the fastest-growing occupations in the United States. NPs provide high-quality care and promote health equity by bridging critical gaps in healthcare delivery. Despite this essential role, new graduates report feeling inadequately prepared as they transition to clinical practice. Identifying this vital need for NP programs to improve role transition preparedness, colleagues from academic institutions across North Carolina (NC) formed a steering committee comprising leaders of NP programs. The committee created a pilot project with the goal of fostering collaboration and networking among stakeholders by disseminating practice information to graduating NP students across NC to enhance and support their transition to the practice environment. The committee selected seven topics to be presented by content experts using a Zoom webinar platform with support from the NC Nurses Association (NCNA) hosting the webinar series. Student participants enrolled in NP programs from represented universities were asked to complete an anonymous survey after each webinar to evaluate content and impact. The evaluation included Likert-type quantitative questions and qualitative free-text responses. Participants consistently reported useful and effective webinar content delivery relevant to and with a high likelihood to impact future practice. Project goals were successfully achieved. The committee recommended expanding the series to all NP programs across NC with support and endorsement from NCNA. This pilot program offers a novel concept for replication by others to bridge the gap between NP education and successful transition to clinical practice.