As newly graduated associate degree nurses (ADN) and baccalaureate degree nurses (BSN) enter into the workforce, they must be equipped to care for a complex patient population; therefore, the purpose of this study was to address the practice expectations and clinical competency of new nurses as perceived by nurse preceptors and nurse managers. Theoretical frameworks guiding this study were the competency outcomes performance assessment theory and the constructivist learning theory. The research questions sought to identify the skill levels and practice expectations of new graduate nurses that nurse preceptors and nurse managers perceive as the most important, and to determine how the identified competency-based assessments can be incorporated in academia to improve new graduate nurses' cognitive and technical skill sets. Purposeful sampling for this mixed methods design was used with 30 nurse managers and 8 nurse preceptors completing the Hospital Nurse Educator Questionnaire (HNEQ). Cronbach's alpha determined the HNEQ's internal consistency. Descriptive analysis and the Wilcoxon alpha test were used on the quantitative data; results revealed that safe nursing practices with knowledge and safe administration of medications were the highest nursing care expectations. Four areas ranked below the p = 0.05 level of significance, revealing a higher expectation of nursing abilities among BSN graduates vs. ADN graduates. Qualitative data were analyzed categorically to identify common themes and patterns, revealing that safe nursing practice ranked highest among the participants. The challenge is for academia and industry to use these research findings to develop competency-based curriculum and orientation programs that address safe nursing practice issues regarding the care given by new graduate nurses. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]