INTEGRATION INTO PROFESSIONAL NURSING BY GRADUATES OF AN INNOVATIVE ENTRY-LEVEL MSN PROGRAM

Recently, nursing programs that admit nonnurse college graduates to gr aduate study in nursing have emerged around the country. The Universit y of Texas at Austin has such a program called the Alternate Entry Mas ter of Science in Nursing (AEMSN) program. Using a grounded theory app roach, 13 telephone interviews were conducted with alumni of the AEMSN program to examine the socialization of these nontraditional graduate s into the profession of nursing. Participants reported some anxiety a s they approached graduation. They were particularly aware of a discon nection between their academic credentials and their limited professio nal nursing experience. To manage others' and their own expectations o f them, the participants chose various strategies, such as using posit ive self-talk and seeking a manager who understood and favored the AEM SN program. Eventually the graduates found places where they felt comf ortable and where they could hone their skills. As they began to funct ion in roles that they believed were consistent with master's level nu rsing, the AEMSN graduates began to embrace the identity of master's-p repared nurses. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company