Newly graduated nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) face challenges in adapting to their first jobs. Because of this, some organizations are instituting formal NP and PA onboarding programs, which have been associated with increased engagement of NPs/PAs, decreased turnover, and higher clinical productivity. 

This policy brief examines which components of NP and PA onboarding programs are successful and why, highlighting 6 structural components and 2 psychosocial components that employers and managers could incorporate into their onboarding programs.