Spotlight: Lauren Carpenter’s Transition to Nursing
Lauren Carpenter, a former teacher turned new graduate nurse, credits the Arizona Transition to Practice Program for helping her confidently step into the nursing profession. Designed to support new nurses in critical access hospitals and underserved areas, the program provided her with mentorship, training and structured support as she transitioned from student to nurse.
Why it matters:
The Arizona Transition to Practice Program helps new nurses, like Lauren, gain confidence and support as they move from school into professional roles.
What she says:
Lauren began working at Aurora Behavioral Health System – Tempe in January 2024. By her third shift, she was introduced to the program.
“Our nurse educator at the time said, ‘Lauren, I have this thing,’” recalls Lauren. “And it was my third shift, so I said yes, because you still say yes to everything in your third shift.”
Lauren quickly found value in the program’s mentorship and live learning sessions.
“For me, the most valuable parts of the program were the meetings with various people and the live sessions,” she says. “Those hardly ever conflicted with work. I think only once or twice. So those I always did at home.”
Through the program, Lauren received mentorship from her preceptor, Grayson Cartwright, M.Ed., R.N., clinical educator at Aurora Behavioral Health System – East. Their regular check-ins, along with weekly conversations with a program mentor, gave Lauren a consistent space to reflect on her experiences and manage stress.
“I spoke to somebody every week from the program and was able to digest and spit things out there,” she shares. “Sometimes I vent. Sometimes I say what went wrong or went right.”
She emphasized the importance of actively showing up for the program.
“I think the live learning sessions where you meet—those are sort of what we make of them,” Lauren explains.
She also spoke about how the program gave her reassurance that she’s where she belongs.
“The questions I had were the questions that other people had—the hesitations I had, the insecurities. And talking through them gave me the confidence that I am where I should be,” Lauren adds.
What’s next:
The Arizona Transition to Practice Program not only helped Lauren build confidence as a new nurse but also encouraged her to pursue higher education. She is currently applying to nurse practitioner programs and plans to continue working at Aurora Behavioral Health System – Tempe while in school.
“My mentor was like, ‘No, Lauren, go do it. Do it now. There’s no reason to wait.’ So, it gave me the confidence to go ahead and apply,” Lauren shares.