Building Professional Role Clarity Into Transition to Practice

The transition from academia to practice requires new nurses to integrate knowledge, competence, and professional role expectations within complex systems. This manuscript describes a nurse residency program redesigned using the Professional Role Identity Formation Theory, evidence-based competencies, and systems thinking. Through phased learning and structured preceptor support, the program facilitated real-time application of theory to practice, strengthening clinical judgment and professional formation while advancing competency-based readiness for independent nursing practice.