“Nursing school did not adequately prepare me for this role” and “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this when I was a student?” are commonly heard complaints from new nurses during their first two “rite of passage” years following graduation. But this transition to professional practice—fraught with challenges, anxiety, triumphs, and tears—does not have to be so difficult. The Nurse Professional helps novices prepare for their transition into a “real world” role from being a student through graduation, NCLEX success, job search, first job, and beyond. It is the only book to cover all of the steps that new nurses must take to ensure a smooth transition into the professional role.

The author is a nurse educator and mentor with extensive experience in recruiting and orienting nurses. Dr. Hunt is also co-founder of the Nurse Advocacy Forum, providing advocacy, support, networking, professional development, leadership, and mentoring to students and new graduate nurses. She offers sound advice regarding the most current issues facing new nurses and practical strategies for obtaining a job of one’s choice, describes steps to take well before graduation to ensure a smooth transition to professional practice, and addresses the various indicators of academic achievement that are required for employment at some nursing facilities. She also discusses the benefits of externships, internships, professional development, and networking, how to develop a winning portfolio, and how to successfully transition into professional practice. This book provides information on workplace bullying and how to deal with it; the importance of self-care, self-advocacy, and networking; writing a résumé; interview skills; and much more. “Top 10 Tips” in each chapter concisely highlight important topics. Samples of useful forms and documents are available in chapter appendices. A PowerPoint presentation and templates for role play/simulation scenarios for faculty use are also available.

Key Features:

• “Top 10 Tips” in chapters concisely highlight important topics

• Samples of useful forms and documents are available in chapter appendices

• Delivers specific, practical strategies and exercises for a successful transition and entry into practice

• Written by an experienced nurse/educator and nurse mentor who has extensive experience regarding how new nurses transition into practice

About the Author

Deborah Dolan Hunt , PhD, RN, is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the College of New Rochelle, USA. She has spent most of her career in nursing education, initially in Staff Development and currently in an academic setting. She began her nursing career in critical care and has held several leadership positions. She is the co-founder and co-director of the Nurse Advocacy Forum at The College of New Rochelle, USA. This forum was developed to offer mentoring, support, advocacy, and networking opportunities to nursing students and new graduate nurses as they transition into professional practice. She is currently serving as one of the Co-leads for the NY State Future of Nursing’s Action Coalition in the Northern Metropolitan Region. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Advance Healthcare Network. She is a member of Community Board # 10 in the Bronx and the chairperson of its Health and Human Services Committee. She is a fellow in the New York Academy of Medicine, USA and an Ambassador for the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and received the Zeta Omega research award for her doctoral dissertation and was the Sigma Theta Tau’s Zeta Omega Scholar from 2010-2011. Her doctoral dissertation was titled Nurses’ and Supervisors’ Value Congruence, Leadership Support and Patient Outcomes and the Effect on Job Satisfaction and Intent to Leave and her research is published in The Journal of Nursing Management . Her research interests are in nursing turnover, job satisfaction, leadership, patient outcomes, and new nurse transition. She has published multiple articles and has presented locally, nationally, and globally. She is also the author of The New Nurse Educator: Mastering Academe . She holds a doctoral degree from Adelphi University, USA, an MS degree in Nursing Administration from the College of New Rochelle, USA, and a BSN from Mercy College, USA.