Evaluating the impact of a nurse residency program on new graduate nurse retention rates at a community hospital

Evaluating the impact of a nurse residency program on new graduate nurse retention rates at a community hospital

Nurse residency programs (NRPs) are designed to facilitate the transition of new graduate nurses (NGNs) from academic settings to clinical practice environments. NRPs aim to enhance the competence, confidence, and professional development of NGNs, as well as to reduce their turnover rates and improve patient outcomes. However, the evidence on the effectiveness of NRPs in achieving these goals is limited and inconsistent. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the impact of a NRP on NGN retention rates at a community hospital in the United States.

The paper adopts a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest comparison group. The intervention group consists of 30 NGNs who participated in a 12-month NRP at the community hospital, while the comparison group consists of 30 NGNs who did not participate in any NRP and were employed at another community hospital in the same region. The primary outcome measure is the retention rate of NGNs at 12 months after graduation, which is calculated as the percentage of NGNs who remained employed at the same hospital. The secondary outcome measures include the NGNs’ self-reported levels of competence, confidence, satisfaction, stress, burnout, and intention to leave.

The paper uses descriptive statistics and inferential statistics to analyze the data. The results show that the retention rate of NGNs in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the comparison group (86.7% vs. 66.7%, p < 0.05). The intervention group also reported significantly higher levels of competence, confidence, satisfaction, and lower levels of stress, burnout, and intention to leave than the comparison group (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). The paper concludes that the NRP had a positive impact on NGN retention rates and other outcomes at the community hospital. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for nursing education, practice, and research. References: - Anderson G, Hair C, Todero C. Nurse residency programs: an integrative review of the literature. Nurs Educ Perspect. 2012;33(2):96-101. - Beecroft PC, Dorey F, Wenten M. Turnover intention in new graduate nurses: a multivariate analysis. J Adv Nurs. 2008;62(1):41-52. - Goode CJ, Lynn MR, Krsek C, Bednash GD. Nurse residency programs: an essential requirement for nursing. Nurs Econ. 2009;27(3):142-159. - Rush KL, Adamack M, Gordon J, Lilly M, Janke R. Best practices of formal new graduate nurse transition programs: an integrative review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2013;50(3):345-356. - Spector N, Blegen MA, Silvestre J, Barnsteiner J, Lynn MR, Ulrich B et al. Transition to practice study in hospital settings i need help with my homework. J Nurs Regul. 2015;5(4):24-38. - Zinn JL, Guglielmi CL, Davis PZ, Moses C. Addressing the nursing shortage: knowledge and attitudes of nurses' about transitioning new graduates into practice. J Nurses Prof Dev. 2012;28(4):156-160.