Nurse faculty are challenged to prepare new nurses for a technologically driven, high intensity practice environment that requires a more complex skill set and higher levels of responsibility than the historical professional role of the nurse. Among the practice professions in the U.S., nursing is unique in that it allows multiple entry levels into the practice. A partnership was formed to pilot a program involving a seamless transition from an associate degree nursing program to a baccalaureate nursing program. Through multiple group interviews over time with participants in this innovative program, we aimed to articulate the research question: What does it mean to be prepared at a baccalaureate level in the professional role of the RN? Findings revealed an overarching theme of a transformative change over time. Initially students articulated a sense of « a golden ticket » of increased opportunity. In interviews midway through the program students were discovering a new world of ideas and had been introduced to a different teaching and learning style compared to their associate degree education. In ending interviews students found themselves upended by a transformation to a new identity as a professional nurse. In support of the conference theme, this research suggests there are differences beyond additional coursework that describe an individual transformative process, interweaving the arts and humanities with the human sciences in baccalaureate nursing education. Through this fusion of horizons the student has become a professional nurse.