Best practice early graduate programs provide supportive environments with mentors and preceptors

Mentors and preceptors assist the graduate in exhibiting professional behaviours.

Mentoring increases professional behaviours exhibited by graduates and gives graduates the confidence to transition beyond beginner level practice.

Mentoring assists graduates to identify opportunities to take leadership and expanding roles in the organisation.

Preceptoring increases the  retention of graduates in the current workplace

Mentors and preceptors assist graduates to appropriately choose ongoing professional development.

Research discovered that many graduate programs were designed on the premise that university preparation was inadequate. This premise hindered the transition process of graduates undertaking the program.

Further work revealed that supportive environments are equally important in assisting the graduate to transition and to function as part of the team.

Preceptors should have a clear understanding of how learning occurs and an ability to facilitate critical thinking and skill development

It has been suggested that mentoring programs help to instil lifelong learning in the graduates and increase their ability to be responsive to change, to be reflective in practice and to be information literate.

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Wolters Kluwer Health, Nursing Management, From novice to expert: Transitioning graduate nurses, viewed 15 December 2008, http://ovid.tx.ovid.com/spb/ovidweb.cgi?&S=CMBGFPNBMMDDKLMKNNCGLF.htm>