As February begins, Nursing the Future remains steadfast in our dedication to supporting new graduate nurses, nursing students, and the individuals and organizations who guide them! This month, we reflect on the incredible opportunities we have had to support the professional role transition of nurses across Canada and look forward to the exciting developments ahead.
We’re thrilled to share updates from our partnership with the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). We are so pleased to announce our next partner event focused on nursing specialties and certification with the CNA! Stay tuned to our social media channels for ticket information and updates on this must-see event.
As an often dreary month, we feel that February is also a time to prioritize well-being and resilience in healthcare. Our tailored tools and strategies continue to empower students and new graduates to confidently navigate their roles and maintain their wellness in demanding clinical environments. For supporters, including managers, educators, preceptors, and mentors, we offer resources and free workplace consultations aimed at enhancing clinical learning, fostering positive work environments, and easing transitions for new nurses. We know that supporters are the backbone of successful transitions, and we’re here to assist every step of the way.
In this edition of our newsletter, you’ll find practical insights, tips from seasoned nurses, and updates on emerging knowledge to help you thrive in the dynamic healthcare landscape. As we continue through 2025, let’s work together to make this a year of growth, connection, and achievement.
(https://nursingthefuture.ca/the-interview/)
We are excited to announce our latest interview collaboration with Transition Theory with Iowa Nurse Residency Program Director Nicole Weathers and Dr. Judy Duchscher
In this interview, these experts discuss navigating the transition from nursing student to practicing nurse involves overcoming significant challenges, specifically during initial employment periods marked by transition shock and crisis. Insights from Dr. Judy Duchscher emphasize the need for structured support, theoretical frameworks, and fostering mentorship relationships to effectively guide new graduates through these critical phases. In the interview, the following is discussed:
• Understanding the purpose and structure of nurse residency programs
• Differentiating between transition shock and transition crisis
• The importance of mentorship and support for new graduates
• Recognizing the emotional and psychosocial needs during different stages
• The value of peer mentorship and initiatives like Storm Chaser
• Addressing the need for theoretical frameworks in residency programs
NTF Live(https://nursingthefuture.ca/ntf-live/)
Join us on February 26 EST for our exciting session on specialty care associations and CNA certification with the Canadian Nurses Association! We are so pleased to offer this early-career focused session for newly graduated nurses and those who support them as they navigate their interests and passions for the wide fields of practice recognized in Canada. Watch our social media for your FREE event invitation!
(https://nursingthefuture.ca/awards/)
At NTF, we are passionate about recognizing and celebrating excellence. When we discover a Rising Star among new graduate nurses or their supporters, we are eager to share their successes with our community!
If you know someone who deserves to be celebrated for their achievements, please let us know by emailing us at newgraduates@nursingthefuture.ca OR go directly to https://nursingthefuture.ca/awards/ and submit your nomination! Your nominations help us shine a spotlight on those who are making a difference in the nursing profession.
We are now exploring the 2nd stage of professional role transition for the newly graduated nurse. This is a time characterized by overwhelming exhaustion as the new graduate becomes more comfortable with practice competencies, starts to ‘settle in’ to their new practice culture, and begins processing everything that happened in the whirlwind of stage 1. This is a time of ‘awakening’ to all that IS and all that IS NOT. Restoring a sense of equilibrium is the name of the game in this stage, marked by: 1) searching, 2) questioning, 3) doubting, 4) examining, and 5) revealing. In the last newsletter we spoke about questioning. Now let’s dive into #3 – doubting!
Doubting oneself as a newly graduated nurse is a big challenge…. new grads will, especially initially, find that their sense of self-trust is fragile. It is common, and desired for new professionals to seek validation for decision-making and clinical judgments from experienced coworkers whose level of practice they respect and admire.
“I think it’s coming, but I don’t feel like I have proven anything to anybody yet at work. I feel like they still look at me as the little grad nurse that asks so many questions and needs so much help. And I feel like even in the last month that I have learned a lot and changed a lot and I had a lot of light bulbs go on and I think I’m asking a lot less questions and requiring a lot less help. But I still feel like people…I don’t know how to explain it and I can’t really think of anything to prove it, but I don’t think they respect me yet as a nurse.”
“I was asked by my mentor, ‘Well why would you do it that way?’ and I said, ‘Well, ____ told me that this was the way we do it and I agree with her and I believe this is what we should do’, and she was quite, well I mean it was a Monday morning after all, but she was quite short with me and I think it’s because she doesn’t trust me as a nurse. I’m just the silly young grad nurse that she doesn’t trust and she didn’t believe that I knew what I was talking about. Whereas I think if I was a senior nurse she wouldn’t have questioned it. So it just made me feel like I was going backwards again and it was like, ‘Oh you still don’t respect me as a nurse. I still need to work on you.’ *chuckles*”
Unlike the 1st transition stage (doing) where grads call upon their colleagues for more prescriptive directives about “what should I do”, these evolving practitioners are now able to generate ideas or strategies for addressing clinical challenges they face and are looking more for clarification, confirmation or validation of their OWN thoughts and actions.
“I don’t have to consciously think as much about doing some of the care. I can think beyond that. You’ve worked with enough of the nurses to get a feel of everybody’s personality and what they do, and I’ll ask some nurses, ‘Why do YOU do this when this other nurse DOESN’T do this?”
“Yeah, before when I was asking questions, I didn’t care. I was like ‘I need to know this. I don’t want to hurt my patients’. I just needed to get this done quickly because I had so much to do. Whereas I think I have a little bit more time now. Rather than running to someone and saying ‘Give me a quick answer’ I look it up and do it myself. I think I’ll earn a little more respect doing that.”
Knowing they can make decisions and implement nursing actions that are not only safe and appropriate, but astute and thoughtful is important to the new graduate’s confidence. This is where the feedback from colleagues is particularly helpful so encourage grads to ask for it! For instance, they might ask their preceptor/mentor, ‘I wondered what your impressions were of my decision in this case. Is this a decision you would have made?’ OR ‘What did you think about how I approached that situation? Were my nursing actions the best in that case or would you have done something different? Can you explain the thinking behind your own decision in that situation?’
“I think I’m much more thorough and also more focused on what’s important. Also just understanding—you know you sort of get the routine down so you know what to expect and then that helps you in your preparation and then you start thinking, ‘OK, what are the usual orders for that? Well these orders aren’t really fitting so maybe I should call the doctor and make sure that they don’t want antibiotics or want the morphine or whatever’. I think I analyze more and the whole critical thinking you know, like what am I prioritizing, instead of just starting at room number one and working down to room number ten, it’s ‘OK, who do I need to see first? How can I organize my morning? Who has 08:00 meds’? Or you know, ‘This person didn’t have a very good night’ or ‘This person might need something for pain so I’ll go see them first’. I think I have gotten a lot quicker at things like processing orders. Like we do all of our own orders so trying to find things in the computer before it was like, I don’t even know where to look. Whereas now it’s like I know I’ve entered it before. I know I can be a little bit faster—I mean I’m still slow compared to most of the nurses but I’m faster than I was. It sounds silly but at the time when you’re doing it for the first time, you forget all these little tiny things whereas now it’s just like *finger snap* ‘OK, we should just do it’. It’s being comfortable I guess *laughs*, you know?”
It is important to note that during the initial several months of this 2nd stage, it may be tempting to offer grads opportunities to take on leadership positions (being in charge, supervising students). But managers and educators can easily misinterpret the increasing level of comfort and confidence that accompanies the graduates progression to this next stage, taking it as a cue that they are ‘ready’ to be put in charge of units or students, or made responsible for orienting new staff. Unfortunately, a consistent but disturbing finding in Duchscher’s transition research has been the frequency with which new grads are placed in clinical situations beyond their clinical competence, cognitive or experiential comfort levels. Not uncommonly, the ‘perceived’ confidence level of the graduate does not necessarily equate with their ‘actual’ confidence nor competence.
“I’m scared of the same things I’ve always been scared of. I’m always scared that I will miss something or something will happen and I won’t pick up on it. Or that I’ll get in over my head and not recognize it.”
A significant percentage of participants in Duchscher’s research have claimed that prior to five months of experience, they were either requested to go to, or were assigned shifts in an observation unit. This caused significant discomfort but these new grads: 1) felt too ‘new’ to make demands about where they were being asked to work, 2) did not want to disappoint the manager, educator, or senior colleague making the request, or 3) interpreted the appeals for advanced responsibility as a statement of confidence in their abilities. All of these predicaments made it difficult for them to refuse the requests.
“Well, here I am in obs [observation unit] AGAIN! I don’t really feel I should be in here seeing as I have never been orientated to obs. This is the second time they’ve put me in here but the first time there was much confusion and they shipped me to [somewhere else] after report. I mentioned that I thought I should get some training but that sort of seemed to fall on deaf ears….I don’t understand how they can justify an unsafe situation by saying ‘Oh you’re only the 2nd nurse so you won’t have to give meds’. HELLO, people are not put in obs because of the meds they’re on, it’s because of their increased acuity. Something I don’t feel I am qualified at doing with my present level of experience!”
While it may be hard for the new graduate to say ‘no’ to such offers (and maybe impossible if they are the most senior individual on shift and a manager or educator has no choice but to put them in this position), it is essential that everyone CAREFULLY weigh this decision against the risk of placing graduates in these positions. Let’s all remember—it takes a CAREER to make an expert nurse and graduates are not responsible to take on roles for an institution or a unit that would be unsafe for them, their colleagues or their patients.
“I feel like the staff have accepted me, which is great, but with that I feel as though they forget that I am still a new grad. There are many things which I have still not done and many others that I have very limited experience with.”
While it is obvious relatively early in this stage that the graduate is ‘on their way’, it can also be a vulnerable period in their professional role transition. Though there is a relative comfort and familiarity that comes with working in one place consistently for the initial 6 months, one should apply caution about moving on too quickly. Graduates will continue to develop their fundamental professional skills for at least the first 12 months of practice, and making a change prematurely can set them back.
“Oh, I feel like I’m back to the beginning right now. I left a job where I knew for the most part what I was doing, I knew what to expect, I knew how the ward worked and now I’m kind of back to square one and it’s frustrating. I really feel that I don’t know what I’m doing. You know, I have some general experience with surgeries so I don’t feel like I’m that far behind but in terms of routines on this ward and the nurses here are very strict with how things are done and what’s done. So being new again is really hard. I feel like I’m back to square one. I feel like I’m a new grad again, and I’ve been out six months, you know? Like it’s tough. And then you feel incompetent like I’m getting all those feelings again.”
The experiences of stability, consistently, familiarity and predictability may be as important in this stage as they were in the prior months of the graduate’s transition—but for different reasons. In the early months of transition, grads are sustained by the excitement of graduating; they can deal with almost anything! That may not be the case after several months of learning new roles and responsibilities, dealing with inconsistent, unpredictable and sometimes unstable situations, and working hard to establish that all important, but usually hard-earned professional credibility.
I liken the 2nd stage transition to how it feels AFTER a code where the adrenaline that gets you through the experience is still running through your veins causing a sense of hyper-vigilance and an accelerated level of energy (stage 1 energy moving the grad into stage 2). Eventually however, that adrenaline level drops and you feel shaky and drained. This ‘shakiness’ is another reason why graduates need consistent and predictable assignments with an ‘appropriate’ level of challenge. Depending on how smooth their journey was through stage 1 and transition shock, graduates may feel more or less depleted at this point. Remember that the only solution for depletion is regeneration—give graduates permission to COAST a little in this 2nd stage as they regain their energy and perspective!
“Comfort, confidence, level of responsibility and just, I think the personal and professional growth that you go through. You do a lot of changing. Things are a lot different. You’re not living that student lifestyle anymore. You’re not always worried quite as much about money and you can spend it on that or you can do this. And you have to be more responsible. I think there are definitely changes. It’s a lot different having days off or having a week off. You can do a lot more things. And I think I’m still searching for some stuff to do constructively in my time off.”
The period of 4-8 months post-orientation is a delicate balance of wanting to hold on to what ‘was’ because it seems safe and comforting, while being equally aware that in order to move beyond who one IS to who one can BECOME, graduates need to let go and trust in the process of development. Doubting the choice (and recommitting eventually to that choice) they made to be a nurse is natural and normal part of adjusting to the realities of the workplace.
“It was a bit scary for me to admit that I was so uncertain about my career choice. It feels so silly to go to school for so long, and then once being finished, saying ‘I don’t know if this is for me’. It’s like I should have thought of that before it started….I’m so uncertain as to what I think about nursing and where I’m at right now, that I need to wait until I have some definitive thoughts and feelings before I make any decisions.”
Unlike the initial months of transition (Stage 1) where the graduate felt reassured by the presence and oversight of their experienced colleagues, the 2nd stage of transition is about transferring their dependence on others to a reliance on themselves; they need to move beyond the doubting to a place of knowing they can trust their own abilities, skills, assessment capacity and practice competence. Therefore, overly attentive ‘supervision’ of their practice at this stage by well-meaning mentors or supervisors may now be interpreted as a display of doubt in their abilities. The peak of this struggle usually occurs around 6-8 months when a crisis of confidenceresults from the intersection of their remaining insecurities about their practice competency, the need to become more independent, and fears they might have of failing their patients, colleagues and themselves if unable to meet expectations. The attention of senior colleagues to the doubts a new graduate might have about themselves, the healthcare system, and their nursing profession are critical in this stage. Talking it out with nurses who have successfully moved beyond doubting themselves and understanding how they have ‘situated’ the healthcare systems imperfections will go along way to helping the graduate progress through to the 3rd stage of transition.
The breadth of nursing knowledge extends to the pursuit of evidence through programs, initiatives, and research. Join us as we highlight and discuss what emerging findings mean for the contemporary field of professional nurse transition, and the profession as a whole.
#1 Hardy and Conway’s Role Theory
Dr. Margaret Hardy pursued her hospital-based nursing training at Vancouver General Hospital. After completing her training in 1959, she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of British Columbia in 1960 and began her practice as a public health nurse. In 1965 and 1971, she earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Washington (major in nursing, minor in sociology) and a PhD in Sociology (methodology, social psychology, medical sociology, organizations) respectively, and was the first person to conduct computer-assisted research on social interaction. Dr. Hardy maintained faculty positions at the Boston University School of Nursing and the School of Sociology. At the School of Nursing, she was in charge of developing core nursing courses for the Master of Nursing and PhD programs. Due to her foresight, she incorporated computers and small group work in her teaching style before their predominance. Her first book: Theoretical Foundations of Nursing was published in 1974 and was followed by an equally relevant publication on Theory as it pertained to nursing curriculum. She retired in 1993 after serving as Chair of the nursing doctoral program at the University of Rhode Island, a program she was recruited to establish in 1986. She was a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and an elected member of the AAN Governing Council from 1979 to 1984. Before she passed in 2020, graduate nursing schools across the United States consulted her to share her knowledge and wisdom with faculty members.
Dr. Mary Conway started her nursing career in the year 1946 by earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Columbia University. In 1972, after 20 years in nursing, she completed a PhD in Sociology at Boston University. Her first official role in higher education was as an Associate Professor at Boston University and later headed the doctoral nursing program at Boston University. She has served as Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the College of Nursing at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. She has published numerous books and articles, consulting for the National Institutes of Health, as well as many universities and organizations. Aside from her contributions to the nursing fraternity, she was a regular volunteer, founding a women's shelter and assistance program called the Safe Homes of Augusta. Dr. Conway passed away in 2021 after which the Mary E. Conway, PhD Minority Scholarship Endowment was established to support minority students at the College of Nursing at Augusta University
In 1978, Drs. Hardy and Conway co-edited: Role Theory: Perspectives for Health Professionals to shed light on the nuances involved in assuming roles with particular emphasis on health professionals, drawing on the work of other researchers and theorists.
Summary of the Theory
A role theory refers to a collection of concepts and a variety of hypothetical formulations that predict how people will behave in certain situations. Hardy and Conway’s theory was iterated from an interactionist perspective, suggesting that people’s actions and responses are shaped by their interpretations of the actions of others. This said, due to the unpredictability associated with the actions of others, individuals must develop the capacity to respond accordingly to the unanticipated actions of others. Role refers to carrying out the rights and expectations of a position occupied. Generally, people are prepared for roles through a socialization process. Socialization is a continuous and cumulative process that commences in early childhood and aims to equip the individual with the skills, knowledge and disposition to function as an abled member of a society. Societal differences determine what the process entails for each person. Notwithstanding, the process is considered adequate if the individual is able to demonstrate the socially accepted competencies assigned to the role and display a sustained commitment to participate in society. Within the socialization process, individuals learn the demands and expectations of the role as well as the structure of the status they are occupying. They also develop an understanding of how to enact the role and learn how others are to behave towards them in their role. Society employs socializing agents such as family, peers, and institutions to transmit the requisite social learning that helps adults enact their roles. Through an interactional and observational learning process with socializing agents, the individual gains knowledge about the acceptable behaviour patterns for particular roles.
An individual’s first significant socializing agent is their immediate family, particularly their mother. From them, the individual’s foundational knowledge about roles is formed by means of rewards and punishments. The individual is not a passive recipient in the socialization process, rather he/she is as actively involved and equally influenced in the process as his/her socializer. The person learns language and role-taking skills, develops a sense of self and how to present the self, and develops interpersonal competence.
The type of grooming received during infancy is based on the subculture of the family and can have a bearing on how an individual adapts to roles in adulthood. Individual personality differences emanate from such variations in socialization. For example, even though the power dynamics and values and behaviours internalized play a part in role negotiation (the parties involved in the interactions reach a consensus about the expectations of a role), an awareness of such possibilities, and subsequently acquiring skills for negotiating roles is learned during childhood interactions with the family. The child develops skills over time as the family recognizes and acknowledges the child’s voice and is able to leverage it in future adult roles. As the individual grows, their foundational knowledge about roles acquired is modified to meet the demands of adult roles. Adult socialization dynamics shift from helping the individual develop the values and motives for the role, to helping the individual perform the specifics of the role.
Adequately socialized individuals are aware of the behaviour expectations of their role, can meet the demands of the role, have internalized values for the role, and are motivated to perform the role. Therefore, individuals who are unable to conform (deviants) may be lacking in these areas and would require resocialization to address the specifics of their challenges. Reference groups (any group the individual relates his/her attitudes to) can be employed to shape behaviours as well. Individuals can experience stress (structural conditions that are difficult to meet) and strain (subjective feelings of distress) in their roles. It is recommended that as individuals, particularly in the health professionals, the requisite socialization to meet the demands of their roles should be provided as well as continuous professional socialization to guarantee their success in the role.
Application to new graduate nurses
The perspectives presented in role theory provide insight into how to support new nurses in taking up their professional roles. It suggests that for every milestone in the life of an individual, such as a new nurse graduating from nursing school, the individual must be supported to develop the distinct characteristics relevant to occupying the new position through a socialization process. The individual brings into the socialization process foundational knowledge acquired from childhood which is modified as they grow, suggestive of potential differences among individuals. Socialization agents such as mentors and preceptors should focus their efforts on ascertaining where the individual is in terms of their readiness for the role and provide support based on the gaps identified. Doing this will ensure that the new nurse receives support tailored to address their unique needs.
References
Augusta University College of Nursing. (n.d.). CON Scholarships. Retrieved August 3, 2024, from https://www.augusta.edu/nursing/scholarships.php
Hardy, M. E., & Conway, M. E. (1978). Role Theory: Perspectives for Health Professionals. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts
Legacy.com. (n.d.). Mary Conway obituary. News-Journal. Retrieved August 3, 2024, from https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/news-journalonline/name/mary-conway-obituary?id=9447146
University of British Columbia. (n.d.). Margaret E. Lewis Hardy, BSN 1960. UBC Nursing Alumni. Retrieved August 3, 2024, from https://nursing-alumni.sites.olt.ubc.ca/home-page/amazing-alumni-1960s/margaret-e-lewis-hardy-bsn-1960/
University of British Columbia Alumni. (n.d.). Margaret E. Hardy, BASc'60. UBC Alumni Magazine. Retrieved August 3, 2024, from https://magazine.alumni.ubc.ca/in-memoriam/margaret-e-hardy-basc60
#2 Introducing New Nurse Leadership Roles Through an Educational Framework to Protect the Planet and Human Health
Roden, J., Pitt, V., Ånaker, A., Lewis, T., Reis, J., & Johnson, A. (2024). Introducing new nurse leadership roles through an educational framework to protect the planet and human health. Contemporary Nurse, 58(3), 245-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/10376178.2024.2432630
Introduction
The paper underscores the critical role of nursing leadership in tackling planetary health challenges, particularly within the context of healthcare's substantial environmental footprint. Climate change, described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the greatest global health threat of the 21st century, necessitates a reimagining of nursing roles to address environmental and social justice imperatives (Roden et al., 2024). The authors propose four new leadership roles within nursing that are designed to integrate sustainable practices across education, policy, research, and clinical care, positioning nurses as catalysts for planetary health initiatives.
Proposed Nurse Leadership Roles
The authors detail four leadership roles, each uniquely contributing to the advancement of planetary health.
The Nurse Educator in Planetary Health is pivotal in embedding sustainability principles into nursing curricula. Guided by the Planetary Health Education Framework (PHEF), these educators design interdisciplinary learning experiences focusing on climate change mitigation, adaptation strategies, and their intersection with human health. By fostering an understanding of environmental systems' impact on health, nurse educators equip future professionals to navigate the challenges posed by a rapidly changing climate (Roden et al., 2024).
The Nurse Climate Advocate is tasked with raising awareness about planetary health among healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the general public. This role involves promoting sustainable practices, influencing health policies to align with global climate goals, and leading initiatives that reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare systems. The authors emphasize that climate advocacy within nursing is essential for fostering systemic change and building resilience in healthcare institutions.
The Nurse-Led Planetary Health Researcher plays a crucial role in building the evidence base for sustainable healthcare practices. These researchers engage in interdisciplinary studies to investigate the health impacts of climate change, explore effective mitigation strategies, and innovate sustainable clinical practices. Roden et al. (2024) also highlight the importance of securing funding and forming collaborations to ensure that research findings are translated into actionable healthcare policies.
The Planetary Health Nurse Practitioner (PHNP) is a clinical leader focused on addressing the environmental and social determinants of health. PHNPs prioritize equitable access to care, advocate for climate justice, and mentor the next generation of nurses to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This role represents the integration of clinical expertise with a commitment to global health equity and environmental sustainability (Roden et al., 2024).
Challenges and Barriers
The paper identifies significant barriers to the implementation of these roles, including a lack of comprehensive education on climate health, limited awareness of planetary health issues among nurses, and systemic resistance to change within healthcare organizations. Funding constraints further complicate efforts to integrate sustainability into nursing leadership. Roden et al. (2024) argue that overcoming these challenges requires strong leadership, strategic policy support, and partnerships between academic institutions and healthcare organizations.
Planetary Health Education Framework (PHEF)
Central to these roles is the PHEF, a comprehensive model for integrating planetary health principles into nursing education. This framework emphasizes the interconnectedness of human and environmental systems, incorporates Indigenous knowledge, and adopts transformative learning strategies to prepare nurses for the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change. The PHEF serves as a foundation for fostering sustainability literacy within the nursing profession (Roden et al., 2024).
Conclusion and Implications
Roden et al. (2024) conclude that the introduction of these new leadership roles will significantly enhance the nursing profession's capacity to address planetary health challenges. By embedding sustainability into education, practice, and research, nurses can lead innovation and resilience in healthcare systems while advancing global efforts toward health equity and environmental justice. The paper presents a forward-thinking blueprint for nursing’s contribution to planetary health, reaffirming the profession's ability to drive transformative change on a global scale.
Are you entering your early-career as a nurse and wondering where to go next? We understand that professional decisions can be daunting and are excited to be focusing on supporting the early-career period in the coming months! Reach out to newgraduates@nursingthefuture.ca if you have specific requests on this or other professional role transition topics!
After more than twenty years of national leadership in supporting nursing students and newly graduated nurses through professional role transition, Nursing the Future (NTF) is concluding its current operational chapter.
Since 2004, NTF has served as a vital bridge for new nurses, educators, and leaders navigating the vulnerable early months of practice. Through evidence-based programming, national partnerships, and a commitment to building a safe “cul-de-sac” for early-career nurses, NTF has supported thousands across Canada in cultivating connection, confidence, and professional identity.
We extend deep gratitude to our partners, including the Canadian Nurses Foundation, the Canadian Nurses Association, the Canadian Nursing Students Association, provincial ministries, healthcare institutions, and countless contributors whose belief in transition-to-practice support made this work possible.
While formal operations conclude, the scholarship, curriculum, intellectual property, and program infrastructure developed over two decades remain intact and available for strategic partnership and collaboration. For further dialogue on potential collaborations, please contact Dr. Duchscher directly: newgraduates@nursingthefuture.ca
We welcome conversations with ministries, health regions, academic institutions, and professional associations interested in advancing initiatives such as:
The mission of healthy and supported professional role transition remains urgent. The work continues, sustained through scholarship, partnership, and shared commitment to the future of Canadian nursing.
With enduring gratitude,
Dr. Judy Duchscher - Founder & CEO, Nursing the Future
Kathryn Corneau - Program Director, Nursing the Future
For our FULL letter of Gratitude CLICK HERE
