title: Professional guides: bridging the gap between student and professional an assessment and challenge.
abstract: Orientation and socialization of new nurses is both a time intensive and costly endeavor. Positive mentorship experiences during instruction are crucial to optimum development and growth of expert nurses. Research has shown an increase in the attrition rate for new graduate nurses (Mills & Mullins, 2008, Ali & Pantaer, 2008). The attrition rate is attributed to the lack of adequate mentorship by professional nurses to new registered nurses as they transition from the student to professional role. The expenditure to hire, train, and orient a new registered nurse is equivalent to a registered nurse earned income of one year (Mills & Mullins, 2008). In order to combat some of these issues, attention must be directed at supporting the nursing student during nursing school and facilitating a smooth transition for the student entering the nursing profession. A program has been developed to ease the transition from student to professional which commences during the nursing student's junior year and progresses to graduation. This preliminary exposure to a structured mentorship program during nursing school provides the nursing student the opportunity to experience and utilize their mentor to smooth the transition from nursing student to registered nurse.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: Will
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Massey
authors.forename: Shelby
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yanus
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dove
authors.forename: Roomaisa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hirani
authors.forename: Acadiana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mencer
authors.forename: Jerie-Lynn
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gore
mesh_terms: D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors; D009825:Oklahoma; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000379:methods*; D016730:Program Development; D060756:Social Networking