“…To realise this, it is imperative to define clinical entry criteria, models for career progression and develop bridges between the faculty and clinical settings (Baltruks & Callaghan, 2018 ). Also, careful investments should be made to support PhD‐prepared nurses by means of orientation into the academic work by developing supportive networks (Bryant et al, 2015 ; Rice et al, 2020 ), access to mentoring (Cullen et al, 2017 ; Hafsteinsdóttir et al, 2017 ; Nowell et al, 2017 ) and leadership and professional development programmes (Bryant et al, 2015 ; Rice et al, 2020 ; van Dongen et al, 2021 ). Although opportunities like these are more common in North America, some initiatives are taking place in European countries, like the Dutch Leadership Mentoring in Nursing Research Programme (Hafsteinsdóttir et al, 2020 ; van Dongen et al, 2021 ) and the European NurseLead programme, which acknowledge and take seriously the need to educate both doctoral nursing students and PhD‐prepared nurses in the wider range of competences to build sustainable careers in various areas of health care, education and academe (Hafsteinsdóttir et al, 2017 ).…”