{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T09:36:01Z","timestamp":1792143361127,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,9]],"date-time":"2025-12-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765238400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nursing Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The transition from student to registered nurse is a vulnerable period characterised by emotional strain, role ambiguity, and transition shock. Although Graduate Nurse Transition Programs (GNTPs) aim to strengthen early practice readiness, few evaluations use longitudinal, theory-informed approaches or validated tools. Aim: To examine the professional role development of new graduate nurses (NGNs) across three transition stages within a major Australian health service. Design and Methods: A longitudinal quantitative study guided by Duchscher\u2019s Stages of Transition Theory and the Transition Shock Model. A customised 75-item questionnaire\u2014adapted from the Professional Role Transition Risk Assessment Instrument and the Professional and Graduate Capability Framework\u2014was administered at three transition points (March 2020\u2013March 2021). Four domains were assessed: Responsibilities, Role Orientation, Relationships, and Knowledge and Confidence. Descriptive statistics, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), chi-square tests, and multinomial logistic regression identified developmental patterns and predictors of transition stage. Results: PCA supported a four-factor structure consistent with the theoretical domains, explaining 62% of variance. Significant stage-based improvements were found in clinical decision-making (RS6, p = 0.005), managing pressure (RS11, p = 0.003), leadership perception (RO5, p = 0.001), and emotional regulation (RL20, p &lt; 0.001). Regression analysis identified role confusion (RS7, \u03c72 = 18.112, p = 0.001), leadership potential (RL1, \u03c72 = 25.590, p &lt; 0.001), workplace support (RL16, \u03c72 = 12.760, p = 0.013), and critical thinking confidence (KN13, \u03c72 = 10.858, p = 0.028) as strong predictors of transition stage. By Stage 3, most NGNs demonstrated increased autonomy, confidence, and professional integration. A coordinator-to-graduate ratio of 1:12 facilitated personalised mentorship. Conclusions: Findings provide robust evidence for theoretically grounded GNTPs. Tailored interventions\u2014such as early mentorship, mid-stage stress support, and late-stage leadership development\u2014can enhance role clarity, confidence, and workforce sustainability.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nursrep15120437","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,9]],"date-time":"2025-12-09T13:51:46Z","timestamp":1765288306000},"page":"437","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Growth and Adaptation of Newly Graduated Nurses Based on Duchscher\u2019s Stages of Transition Theory and Transition Shock Model: A Longitudinal Quantitative Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1268-297X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lynette","family":"Cusack","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Adelaide Nursing School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-6658-5171","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Loren","family":"Madsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Calvary Health Care, 207 Wakefield Street, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5059-7149","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Judy Boychuk","family":"Duchscher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC V2C 0C8, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6229-1064","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wenpeng","family":"You","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Adelaide Nursing School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia"},{"name":"School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Baharum, H., Ismail, A., McKenna, L., Mohamed, Z., Ibrahim, R., and Hassan, N.H. 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