An emphasis on professionalism for new NP students

Socialization to the nurse practitioner (NP) role and professional expectations needs to begin early in NP education. The earlier and more frequently students are engaged in developing an NP professional identity, the faster they will adapt to the NP role. Innovative ideas for introducing professionalism concepts at the graduate level are introduced, along with illustrations related to how course assignments support the new AACN Essentials Professionalism domain sub-competencies. New NP students described professionalism using more internal/self-oriented values, such as integrity, respect, compassion, and accountability, which is important for NP educators to recognize.