Effect of a Nurse-Led Transition Program on Resilience and Career Decisions in Senior Students

The transition to higher education is a critical stage that affects young people's academic, emotional, and professional development. Although experiential learning is recognized as important, comprehensive initiatives addressing both psychological resilience and career decision-making processes remain limited. This study evaluates the impact of a comprehensive, university-focused, practical transition program for high school seniors on their psychological resilience and career decision-making difficulties. In this pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental study with a control group, 80 high school seniors in Mardin, Turkey, were assigned to an intervention group (n=40) or a control group (n=40). The intervention group completed a two-week on-campus experiential program covering academic adjustment, social participation, and hands-on workshops, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale and the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Scale for High School Students. The primary outcomes evaluated are the changes in participants' overall psychological resilience levels and career decision-making difficulties following the intervention compared to the control group.

Inclusion Criteria: * Absence of health, educational, or administrative barriers preventing regular participation in the intervention program * Possessing sufficient cognitive and language skills to understand and respond to assessment tools * Voluntary consent to participate in the study and complete all data collection forms Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of significant cognitive or language deficits that prevent understanding and responding to assessment tools * Presence of health, educational, or administrative barriers preventing regular participation in the intervention program * Refusal to complete the data collection forms * Leaving the data collection forms incomplete * Dropping out of school or transferring to another institution during the intervention period