Newly graduated and nurse resident competencies: Perceptions of nurse faculty and acute care hospital leaders in the state of Maryland

Background: The many educational pathways to obtain a professional nursing degree create confusion among healthcare leaders about new graduate nurses' (NGNs) competency expectations when entering practice.

Purpose: This research sought to identify, among Maryland nursing academic and practice leaders, a standard set of NGN competencies after completing their prelicensure program and nurse residency program (NRP) at 12 months.

Method: A mixed-method approach was used, including a survey of 109 outcome statements and faculty and practice leader focus groups.

Results: Results suggested that 90 % of the nursing programs could collectively meet 18 of the 109 outcomes by NGN program completion, with few differences in responses from the varying academic programs. Faculty attributed these low results to the heavy focus on preparing students for the NCLEX examination, overloaded curricula, and competing priorities. Practice leaders perceived NGNs only partially met/did not meet most competencies, viewing many as unrealistic. Findings support requirements for NGNs to complete an NRP and the existence of a practice-education gap.

Conclusions: Research findings can help inform the development of a nationally accepted, competency-based educational framework for students, new-to-practice nurse residents, and professional nurses to help align entry-level nursing practice expectations with those of nursing programs and NRPs.