Every nurse remembers the transition from student to practicing professional. It is one of the most meaningful stretches in a nursing career—a time when knowledge becomes action, confidence is built day by day, and professional identity begins to take shape. Across Johns Hopkins nursing, we have the privilege—and responsibility—of helping shape that transition.
As nursing education continues to evolve in thoughtful and innovative ways, health systems must be equally intentional about what comes next. Welcoming new nurses into practice is about far more than orientation. It is about creating an environment where they feel supported, challenged, and inspired from the very beginning.
Across our Johns Hopkins hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, and in the care provided in the home and in our communities, nursing practice is grounded in clinical excellence, compassion, inquiry, teamwork, and a deep commitment to patient- and family-centered care. New nurses are not expected to master all of that on Day One. They are encouraged
to grow into it—with the guidance, coaching, and support of leaders, educators, preceptors, and colleagues around them.
That is why strong transition-to-practice and nurse residency programs matter so much. Throughout the health system, new nurses are supported through structured onboarding, preceptorship, mentorship, and continued learning during the critical first year of practice. The competency-based curriculum that has been implemented at Johns Hopkins’ School of Nursing is reinforced through the competency-based structures of orientation and the clinical ladder across our Johns Hopkins Health System hospitals and care settings. New nurses are given the opportunity to strengthen clinical judgment, build resilience, ask questions, and gain confidence in a setting that values both excellence and growth. Additionally, nurses will have the opportunity to participate in transformative technologies such as virtual health and ambient listening to optimize patient outcomes.
A welcoming professional culture that encourages nurses to remain curious, contribute to decision-making, and lead is fundamental to new graduate success. From the start, our nurses are part of a profession that values lifelong learning and continuous improvement. Johns Hopkins nurses partner with colleagues across disciplines and are not only caregivers but leaders in advancing quality, safety, and innovation.
There is great reward in watching this growth happen. Over time, the new graduate who arrives eager and uncertain becomes a skilled professional who can recognize subtle changes in a patient’s condition, support families through difficult moments, and contribute meaningfully to the strength of the care team. That transformation is powerful—and it does not happen by accident. It happens when education and practice come together with shared purpose.
At Johns Hopkins, we are proud to invest in that journey. Supporting nurses in their first year is one of the most important ways we strengthen the future of our profession. When we prepare nurses well, welcome them fully, and surround them with the support they need to thrive, we do more than help them succeed on Day One—we help set the stage for a career of excellence.
Deborah Baker, DNP, AG-ACNP, NEA-BC, FAAN, is senior vice president for nursing for the Johns Hopkins Health System.