According to this nurse leader, there are three attributes that make for a practice-ready nurse capable of autonomous decision-making.
In recent years, there are more newly licensed nurses working in the emergency department, critical care, and high acuity areas.
As patient populations age and have higher patient acuity, there is more urgency for new nurses to engage in consistent and effective clinical decision-making from the beginning of their careers. While new graduate nurses will have the knowledge to begin practicing, there seems to be a disconnect between knowing the information and processing it to consistently make an effective decision.
According to Nicole Williams, director of content and test development at the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), there are several qualities that make a practice-ready nurse.
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G Hatfield is the CNO editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A recent NCSBN study found that out of 200 nurses surveyed, 74% stated that it takes about 12 months to be ready to practice autonomously.
For CNOs, standardizing that 12-month period as a way to ensure practice readiness among nurses is essential.