Transitioning from education into actual practice is a daunting undertaking and something all nurses can relate to from their own careers. But are we really setting up our early career nurses and graduates to succeed? Two passionate, seasoned nurses on the frontline at CQ HHS realized that this was not the case – they found a lack of transitionary support across education to practice which graduate nurses often find too stressful.

Deciding to solve this problem, they developed the Books 2 Bedside Initiative. Through their story, they have a message to share about bringing change. In a time where skillset shortages abound and nurses are leaving their profession across the globe, this talk highlights the important role nurses can and must play today in by creating a sustainable environment and workforce capability for tomorrow.

• How a daughter’s experience sparked the need for change in the graduate nursing transition at CQ HHS
• Going from conceptualizing the Books 2 Beside Program on their time to CQ University incorporating it into their curriculum
• The importance of creating “safe spaces” for graduate and student nurses to develop skills and build confidence