Transition Experiences of New Rural Nurse Practitioners

Nurse practitioners (NPs) make up the most rapidly expanding primary care workforce and are being utilized to meet the increased demand for primary care in rural settings. The researcher explored 10 registered nurses' perceptions of their experiences while transitioning to their NP identities and first year of primary care practice in rural healthcare settings. The Rural Nurse Practitioner Transition and Professional Identity Development Model emerged. Critical to the NP's successful transitions were an incentive to learn, a passion to work in rural healthcare, and the relationships with their patients, nurses, and other providers at the rural healthcare facilities and communities.