The transition from student to newly graduated nurse (NGN) can be a period filled with significant stress and uncertainty as NGNs are required to develop and refine practical skills, learn to work with interdisciplinary team members, and adjust to their new professional identity. Clinical externships provide students an opportunity to work alongside nurses as unregulated healthcare workers in hospitals. This study explored how NGNs felt their participation in a clinical extern program influenced their transition from student to nurse. Interpretive description (ID) guided the research of this study and produced a qualitative description of the experiences from a sample of eight NGNs working in Ontario.Three main themes emerged from the data collection: developing self-efficacy, developing a professional identity, and being on the inside. Implications from this study address the need for research on how clinical externships influence transition to practice and the continuation and development of such programs.
Author Keywords: clinical extern, externships, newly graduated nurse, novice nurse, transition, transition to practice