Post-graduate Integration Programs for Recently Graduated Nurse Practitioners: A Rapid Review

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this paper is to present a rapid review of the literature that describes and evaluates post-graduate professional integration programs for recently graduated nurse practitioners.

Background: Recently graduated nurse practitioners face numerous challenges upon entry to practice, these include high patient caseloads, lack of confidence, and difficulty integrating into the interprofessional team. In response to these challenges, numerous post-graduate professional integration programs have emerged to support the transition of recently graduated nurse practitioners into practice.

Design: A rapid review was conducted following McMaster University Rapid Review Guidebook’s Guidelines.

Method: Studies describing and evaluating post-graduate professional integration programs for nurse practitioners who recently graduated from master’s or doctoral programs were included. The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) guidelines were used to assess the quality of the description of the programs in the included studies. A narrative synthesis was completed.

Results: Among 2,261 records yielded from the electronic search, 27 studies on 26 post-graduate professional integration programs were included in this review. The quality of the description of the programs included was high. Three types of programs were identified in this review: residency programs, fellowship programs, and transition-to-practice programs. Studies suggested that post-graduate professional integration programs increase the confidence level, degree of satisfaction, skill acquisition, knowledge, and productivity of recently graduated nurse practitioners.

Conclusions: Post-graduate professional integration programs represent promising avenues to support the transition of recently graduated nurse practitioners into practice. Future research is needed to better understand the relative benefits and effectiveness of different post-graduate professional integration program structures across specific outcomes.