Nurse residency programs: outcome comparisons to best practices

Area of Science:

• Nursing Workforce Research
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• High first-year turnover rates for newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs) range from 40% to 60%.
• Nurse residency programs (NRPs) have demonstrated potential to reduce turnover to 10% or less.
• Understanding best practices is crucial for retaining early-career nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine first-year turnover rates of NLRNs across three distinct sites within a single health system.
• To compare post-hire outcomes at one year for NLRNs across the three sites.
• To examine NLRN intent to stay at one year.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study was conducted within one health system, evaluating three different best practice sites.
• Data collection focused on first-year turnover, one-year post-hire outcomes, and intent to stay.
• Statistical analysis was employed to identify significant differences between the sites.

Main Results:

• While few statistically significant differences were observed, a positive trend in retention was noted for the site implementing a nurse residency program.
• The site with the NRP showed promising outcomes regarding turnover and intent to stay compared to other sites.
• Overall trends suggest the positive impact of structured residency programs on early-career nurse retention.

Conclusions:

• Nurse residency programs appear to be an effective strategy for mitigating high first-year turnover among newly licensed registered nurses.
• Implementing NRPs within health systems can lead to improved nurse retention and potentially better workforce stability.
• Further research is warranted to explore the specific components of NRPs that most significantly impact retention and outcomes.