Interventions Promoting Work Engagement and Reducing Turnover of Newly Graduated Nurses: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• High turnover rates (5%-18%) among nurses globally necessitate support for newly graduated nurses (NGNs).
• NGNs face significant stress transitioning from student to registered nurse, impacting retention.
• Effective interventions are crucial to enhance NGNs' organizational commitment, engagement, retention, and reduce burnout and turnover.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review interventions aimed at improving organizational commitment, work engagement, and retention in NGNs.
• To evaluate interventions designed to decrease burnout and turnover among NGNs.
• To identify evidence-based strategies supporting NGNs' professional transition and long-term commitment.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of studies published between January 2012 and February 2023.
• Included NGNs with less than 6 months of clinical experience; excluded nursing support staff and residency programs.
• Searched multiple databases (Cochrane, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, JBI, Medic); synthesized findings narratively and estimated effect size using Cohen's d.

Main Results:

• Three moderate to good quality studies (566 participants) were included.
• One-to-one mentoring (d = -0.18) and a 10-minute preceptor model (d = -0.58) showed small to medium effects in decreasing turnover intentions.
• No studies measured work engagement, burnout, or organizational commitment as outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Few high-quality studies evaluated interventions to improve NGN retention.
• Two interventions demonstrated a potential association with lower turnover.
• Insufficient evidence exists for nursing management recommendations; further research, including cost-benefit analyses, is required.