Professionals in the nursing profession have known for some time that the field faces a serious problem with its newly licensed registered nurses (RN). In 200, the University Health System Consortium and the American Association of Colleges of nursing got together to solve the difficulties faced by new RNs, which included too many mistakes and an unacceptably high rate of burnout (AACN, 2005). At this meeting they concluded that under-preparation was at least part of the problem. They noted that only just over half of hospital nursing staff across the country had a BSN degree and that only 8% had masters degrees (AACN, 2005).
             However, research done on new nurses found that newly licensed nurses encountered considerable difficulty making the transition from student to professional nurse (AACN, 2005). One study found that these new graduates did not have all the training they needed to fulfill their responsibilities as RNs. In addition, it was found that the support systems in place for new RNs did not work well. The new nurses were not competent to perform some basic job expectations. In particular they lacked the ability to spot physical and diagnostic problems. They did not know how to respond to emergencies, or how to supervise those under them. They even lacked some basic motor skills needed by nurses in their every day jobs. The research showed that the more experienced staff did not have time to train them and that over 50% of new nurses expected to leave their first jobs within three years, contributing markedly to job turnover among nursing staff (AACN, 2005). It is a serious problem; other sources state that a significant number of new RN's leave the nursing procession completely because they cannot cope with nursing in the real world. Their nursing education has not prepared them adequately for the job they are expected to do after they graduate (Meyers, 2005).
             One solution to help new RN's make the transiti...