INTRODUCTION
An advanced practice workforce is essential to healthcare in Australia due to a shortage of general practitioners in many areas. It also provides an important career path for retaining experienced nurses within the nursing workforce. Nurse Practitioner is the only legislated title in Australia, requiring five-thousand hours of advanced nursing experience, but not all become Nurse Practitioners. Support strategies for newly graduated nurses are well-documented, but less is known about transitioning to advanced practice. This presentation is a cross-sectional analysis of registered nurses’ experience transitioning to advanced practice in Australia.

AIM
The survey sets out to achieve two aims: firstly, a general overview of nurses’ experience transitioning to advanced practice and understanding of clinical supervision, and secondly to recruit a subset of nurses with lived experience of clinical supervision for interviews.

METHODS
An online survey was created using Qualtrics, with categorical and open-ended responses. Distribution occurred through national professional nursing organizations between September 2023 and August 2024. A pragmatic approach was taken to answer research questions using a mixed method, cross-sectional descriptive design. Descriptive statistics, bar graphs and frequency charts were used to analyze quantitative data, and summative and inductive content analysis for the qualitative data.

RESULTS
One hundred and four categorical responses were received. Sixty responses included qualitative data. Nurses transitioning to advanced practice received support always/often (32.3%), sometimes (25%) and rarely/never (29.4%). Participation in clinical supervision occurred often/always (39.7%), sometimes (20.6%) and rarely/never (16.1%), with no response recorded for 23.5%. Understanding of clinical supervision varied, requiring further analysis. Preliminary results indicate a strong association between transition experience and types of support, but work is still being finalized.

CONCLUSIONS
Advanced career pathways are essential for ensuring diversity and inclusivity within the nursing workforce. This study highlights the importance of providing appropriate support for nurses transitioning to advanced practice.