Nurse residency graduates' commitment to their first positions.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• High turnover rates among new graduate nurses (27%-53% within the first year) pose significant challenges to healthcare systems.
• The national nurse residency program (NRP) is an intervention designed to support newly graduated nurses transitioning into practice.
• The University of Kansas Hospital has utilized an NRP for new graduate nurses since 2003.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between job satisfaction and nurses' decisions to remain in their positions.
• To identify the primary reasons influencing nurse retention.
• To assess the impact of satisfaction with the nurse residency program on overall job commitment and retention.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Survey methodology to collect data from nurses who completed the nurse residency program.
• Analysis of relationships between job satisfaction, reasons for staying, program satisfaction, job commitment, and retention.

Main Results:

• Job satisfaction, reasons for staying, and satisfaction with the nurse residency program were found to be significantly related to job commitment.
• These factors also demonstrated a significant association with nurse retention.
• The nurse residency program appears to positively influence commitment and retention.

Conclusions:

• Nurse residency programs are effective in enhancing job commitment and retention among new graduates.
• Strategies focusing on improving job satisfaction and addressing reasons for staying are crucial for retaining nurses.
• Continued investment in and evaluation of nurse residency programs are recommended for workforce stability.