Integrate Your Growing Professional Identity Within Your Role Transition

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter focuses on personal use of the synergistic effects of developing a positive professional identity to follow a structured path to successful APN role transition. After graduation, APN students will be beginning the role as APN to provide advanced nursing including enhanced critical thinking, decision-making, diagnostic understanding, and provision of autonomous care. The result of APN role transition is dependent upon many factors that are both personal (there is personal control) and environmental (the APN has no control over). This chapter provides a detailed education and interactive actives on the four competency domains which are impacted by professional identity and role transition. The four competency domains are relationships (the ability to build trust relationships on interpersonal and intrapersonal levels); skills and knowledge (the advanced nursing skills and knowledge needed to provide advance autonomous care); thinking (the ability and skills for critically and creative thinking leading to critical decision and creative innovations); and APN clinical expertise (comprehensive clinical expertise as APN with positive role transition and strong professional identity). The last section on this chapter is devoted to the “second APN role transition” which is graduation through first 12–18 months of clinical practice. Two ways to consider the second role transition are discussed: a self-awareness process through the Limbo to Legitimacy theory and a time-based process for doing, being, and knowing through interactive activities.KeywordsAPN role transitionProfessional identityCompetency domainsLimbo to legitimacyPost-graduation transition