A Retrospective Study of a Nurse Residency Program and Reports of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover

Download or read book A Retrospective Study of a Nurse Residency Program and Reports of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover written by Kenneth Walter Dion and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aging population in the United States and greater access to healthcare due to recent legislative reforms will result in an increased demand for registered nurses. However, meeting this demand will challenge healthcare organizations due to an aging nursing workforce that will be retiring, a lack of new nurses entering the profession due to lack of employment opportunities related to the current macro-economic environment, and the lack of capacity to produce nursing graduates. Furthermore, reported turnover rates of newly graduated registered nurses range from 18 to 60% during the first year of employment. Healthcare organizations implementing structured nurse residency programs have reported success in stemming the tide of new graduate turnover. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence in the nurse residency literature regarding variables that have been shown to decrease turnover of registered nurses. The purpose of this study was to examine the outcome variables of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover among newly graduated nurse residents in Magnet, Magnet Aspiring, and Non-Magnet Hospital work environments across the US. A descriptive correlational retrospective secondary analysis was completed examining the outcome variables in a sample of 628 newly graduated nurses completing a structured nurse residency program between January 1, 2007 and December 31st, 2009 in general acute care hospitals. The findings from this study demonstrated the difference between job satisfaction at two months, six months, and 12 months among nurse residents in the different work environments. Furthermore, the influence of the residency program on organizational commitment in the context of differing work environments is reported. Moreover, turnover rates following the completion of the nurse residency were found to be lower than the national average for newly graduated nurses. Finally, the relationships between the outcome variables are explicated. The findings of this study will assist in informing healthcare executive's decision making when considering interventions to decrease turnover of newly graduated nurses.