The Challenge of Surveying New Graduate Nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Workforce Research
• Public Health Surveys
• Healthcare Professional Sampling

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems.
• Newly licensed registered nurses (RNs) are crucial to the healthcare workforce.
• Effective population surveys require robust sampling methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and describe the difficulties encountered in sampling and surveying newly licensed RNs.
• To analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on survey research involving this demographic.
• To highlight the importance of overcoming sampling barriers in nursing research.

Main Methods:

• Contacted all 51 U.S. state boards of nursing to obtain random sampling lists.
• Documented challenges in acquiring contact information and participant lists.
• Assessed the usability of provided lists for survey frame creation.

Main Results:

• Significant obstacles were faced in obtaining usable random sampling lists from state boards of nursing.
• Only eight out of 51 state boards provided adequate lists.
• Privacy laws, response solicitation, and list costs were major impediments.

Conclusions:

• Developing a random sampling frame for newly licensed RNs is a complex and challenging process.
• Barriers to obtaining sampling lists hinder essential research on the nursing workforce.
• Strategies to improve access to nursing workforce data are critical for healthcare research.