ArticlePDF Available

The impostor phenomenon in new nurse practitioner graduates

Authors:
  • Texas Board of Nursing
... These include: (a) introducing the students to professional organizations and other possible support people; (b) seeking avenues of staying connected to the new graduate such as through innovative technology and continuing education programs; (c) establishing curricula with increased collaboration between medical and NP students during the school years to assist in a mutual understanding of roles; (d) planning seminars with the students emphasizing the adjustment phase of moving from expert, to novice, and back to expert; (e) sharing tips on how to manage limited time when in practice; (f) exploring methods with the students on how to manage and synthesize the volumes of journal readings; (g) discussing with students the loss of privacy that may occur and the need for a protective banner; and (h) emphasizing the gains in personal satisfaction that will offset any negatives 5 . Educators who conduct seminars to assist students in their adjustment to the practitioner role can structure discussion around expectations of students regarding their perception of the role and how those expectations change as students' progress through training [7][8] . ...
... They are expected to have advanced clinical skills and be able to think critically and integrate advanced assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacology while simultaneously maintaining a biopsychosocial nursing focus 23 . New graduates are expected to function at an advanced level yet, it has been reported that there is significant uncertainty regarding their role in an increasingly demanding profession 7,[20][21]24 . Consequently, this impaired role development can affect employment continuity and the decision to leave the profession within the first year of practice [25][26][27] . ...
... Understanding NPs' role transitions could be used to feed-forward the development of 'support scaffolding' such as mentoring and support networks, aiming to enhance smooth passage from RN to NP 11 . The assumption is that a better awareness of the transitional process will lead to greater understanding and a shorter adjustment period 5,7,19 . However, awareness precedes engagement. ...
... Prior mental health treatment was found to be a predictor of IP in this study, as well. Another study provided insight into the impact of prior clinical experience on impostor feelings for new graduate nurse practitioners [16]. The authors described Benner's stages of career development. ...
... The authors described Benner's stages of career development. This model states that it takes 3e5 years within a field to become an expert and notes a progression of expertise over time [16]. Nurse practitioner students have prior nursing experience before entering the graduate level program. ...
... Since Clance and Imes's [6] seminal work, several studies elucidated the presence of IP in professionals from multiple disciplines, including nurses [1,[12][13][14], librarians [7], students in engineering [15] and medicine [8,10]. ...
Article
Intuitively, nurse educators know that graduate students in both master’s and doctoral programs question their ability to succeed. The impostor phenomenon (IP) is an internalized sense of inadequacy and fear of being seen as a fraud in the presence of external indicators of authentic achievement, and experienced by high achieving, successful individuals. Fifty-three percent (49/93) of graduate students completed the CIPS survey, and 11 master’s (regular streams & nurse practitioner) and two doctoral students participated in focus group interviews. The quantitative results showed that 88 % of participants experienced moderate to intense impostor phenomenon. Two themes emerged in the qualitative analysis: (i) experiencing the imposter phenomenon and (ii) managing feeling like an impostor. Descriptions of IP were similar across the three groups of participants. This research provides a foundational understanding of how IP is experienced by graduate nursing students.
... La comprensión de las transiciones de roles del EPA se puede utilizar para avanzar en el desarrollo de 'bases de apoyo', como redes de tutoría y soporte, con el objetivo de garantizar una transición sin problemas de enfermero a EPA 11 . La suposición es que una mejor conciencia del proceso de transición conducirá a una mayor comprensión y un período de adaptación más corto 5,7,19 . Sin embargo, la conciencia precede al compromiso. ...
... A compreensão das transições de papel dos EPAs pode ser usada para avançar no desenvolvimento de 'bases de suporte', como redes de mentoria e de apoio, com o objetivo de garantir uma passagem leve de enfermeiro para EPA 11 . A suposição é que uma melhor conscientização do processo de transição levará a uma maior compreensão e a um período de ajuste mais curto 5,7,19 . No entanto, a conscientização precede o engajamento. ...
... Literature exists related to the imposter syndrome as it applies to individuals in particular fields and the influence the phenomenon has within those particular fields. Imposter syndrome has been documented across the professions in a variety of industries including K-12 education, health care, accounting, finance, law, marketing, and higher education in particular fields, such as medical education and engineering education (Arena & Page, 1992;Byrnes & Lester, 1995;Clance & Imes, 1978;Crouch et al., 1991;Huffstutler & Varnell, 2006;Mattie et al., 2008;Parkman & Beard, 2009;Zorn, 2005). ...
Article
This study explored the experiences of women leaders who graduated from a student affairs master’s degree program, and advanced to positions of vertical movement to roles of increasing responsibility, wider influence, and greater accountability. Specifically, exploration of this progression, and the influences on their experience of lateral movement, including the impostor’s syndrome. Three themes emerged from this study: (a) the influence of relationships on career progression, (b) navigating the structures of higher education, and (c) experiences of the Imposter Phenomenon. The results of this study can support student affairs preparation programs as they determine the competencies necessary to prepare professionals for navigating a career of progressive leadership and influence in higher education. Additionally, the results of this study can help university administration as they support student affairs professionals. Finally, the results of this study provide considerations for women as they consider carees in higher education. Considerations for organizational structures, succession planning, peer support channels and how to best support that important population on college campuses. Future research opportunities are also discussed as they relate to understanding progression experiences of student affairs professionals. Advisor: Marilyn Grady, Ph.D.
... At the undergraduate level, IS has been documented across a variety of majors and disciplines to include psychology (Ferrari & Thompson, 2006), engineering (Felder, 1988), medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students (Henning, Ey & Shaw, 1998). Publications discussing IS determined that graduate and doctoral students (Long, Jenkins & Bracken, 2000) in the following majors were more likely to experience IS: physician assistant studies (Mattie, Gietzen, Davis & Prata, 2008), psychology (Bernard, Dollinger & Ramaniah, 2002;Castro, Jones, & Mirasalimi, 2004;Gibson-Beverly & Schwartz, 2008) nurse practitioner (Huffstutler & Varnell, 2006;Sutliff, 1998;Vance, 2002), medical residency (Legassi, Zibrowski, & Goldszmdt, 2008;Oriel, Plane & Mundt, 2004), molecular biology (Pinker, 2009). ...
Article
Members of minority populations are forced to hide behind a mask of stereotypes others associate to them. Individuals who feel fraudulent when they fulfill certain stereotypes, associate their success to external forces, define the problem as impostor syndrome (IS). The paper focuses on the prevalence and relevance of IS on college campuses. The session will explore the affect and effect of IS from different cultural lenses and discuss possible preventive and coping strategies for academic and mental health professionals. The purpose is to 'unmask' the impostor syndrome caused by stereotypes and stereotype threats that prevents individuals from reaching 'new heights' and compromise their existing talents.
... Concerning how faculty coped with the specific imposter incidents, our findings definitively support extant work around the importance of informal and formal learning and development methods to address imposter experiences (Carver, Scheier, and Weintraub 1989;Clark et al. 2012;Huffstutler and Varnell 2006;Watson and Betts 2010). These include seeking job feedback from department chairs or mentors and in gaining support from more informal sources such as from colleagues and peers (Hill 2004;Iqbal and Kokash 2011;Narayanan, Menon, and Spector 1999). ...
Article
Full-text available
Despite research on imposter phenomenon among graduate students, few researchers have explored how academic faculty copes with the psychological stress resulting from questioning their professional legitimacy and expertise. We examined the predicating events that trigger imposter tendencies among academic faculty, their applied coping skills at mitigating such experiences and types of institutional resources that could support faculty struggling with imposter phenomenon. We position our study within identity theory and suggest that the emergence of imposter phenomenon could be a formative part of how faculty form their professional identity. Using critical incident technique (CIT) to analyse faculty narratives (n = 16), we identified four specific incidents that triggered faculty imposter experiences, four distinct coping methods used to interrupt the imposter cycle, and perceived needs and resources around institutional support. We also identified gender differences in incidents and coping responses. Specific suggestions are offered for formal and informal learning interventions in dealing with faculty imposter phenomenon as it relates to work outcomes.
Article
Full-text available
Perfectionism refers to a tendency to set unrealistically high standards for oneself and others. Although often seen positively, perfectionism can threaten health, relationships and performance. This study examined the effects of three types of maladaptive perfectionism on burnout in 294 UK social workers: self-oriented (having excessively high standards for oneself), other-oriented (having excessively high expectations of others) and socially prescribed (perceiving external pressure to excel). In line with previous research, we predicted that socially prescribed perfectionism would have particularly powerful effects on well-being, but significant relationships with self and other-oriented perfectionism were also expected. We also examined whether maladaptive perfectionism intensified the negative impact of work-related emotional demands on burnout. Significant positive relationships were found between socially prescribed and other-oriented perfectionism and burnout. A higher level of socially prescribed perfectionism was found than self and other-oriented and its relationship with burnout was particularly strong. We found no evidence, however, that perfectionism was an additional risk factor for burnout when emotional demands were high. Early career social workers were found to be at greater risk of dysfunctional perfectionism and burnout. The implications of the findings for the well-being of social workers are considered and potential interventions outlined to reduce maladaptive perfectionism.
Article
Full-text available
Impostor phenomenon (IP) refers to an overwhelming feeling of intellectual fraudulence and affects individuals across a number of fields. Academia provides an environment in which these feelings can flourish, particularly within postgraduate students. In spite of the research exploring these feelings, we know little about how to reduce them in academia. Clinical research has identified guiding principles to assist those affected, particularly through mentorship. This article describes a series of interventions for postgraduates adapted from clinical research. These four interventions identified IP and its consequences, explored disciplinary and academic literacies strategies, and taught postgraduate students how to read academic journal articles and use literacy strategies to write literature reviews. Parametric and nonparametric analyses show that impostor feelings reduced by 23% relative to a control group. This research suggests that programmes could use similar interventions in academic skill sets to help reduce IP feelings in their postgraduate students.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.