Education Pathways for Graduate Entry Registered Nurses to Transition to Advanced Practice Roles: A Realist Review

Objective Explore potential education and clinical pathways for nurses entering the profession through a Graduate Entry Nursing programme to transition to advanced practice roles. Design Realist review. Review methods A two stage process included 1) a systematic search of the following electronic databases EMCARE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, and Scopus for published peer reviewed literature reporting academic pathways for graduates of graduate entry nursing programmes to progress to advanced nursing roles, and 2) consultation with key education programme stakeholders of graduate entry nursing programmes across Australasia, who undertook an inductive interpretive approach using realist logic to determine what works, for whom, and in what circumstances. Results Twelve published articles that explored advanced practice academic pathways for graduate entry nursing graduates were synthesised in terms of context, mechanisms, and outcomes. Data were then interpreted as to what works, for whom, in what context, and why, to develop new understandings of opportunities for advanced practice pathways for these students. No specific tailored academic pathway for graduate entry nursing graduates to progress to advanced practice was identified. Important relationships were identified between financial imperatives, political drivers, and registration requirements. Conclusions Transformative strategies for new education pathways were identified as necessary to inspire innovation in nurturing graduate entry nurse graduates to progress to advanced practice roles. Effective collaboration and consultation within and across agencies and organisations are needed to both develop and implement accessible, expedient, and equitable programmes to enable this capable cohort to contribute to the health workforce.