Exploring the Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Turnover Among New Nurses.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the health care work environment and exacerbated workplace demands and stress. New graduate nurses (NGNs) transitioning into their first registered nurse role were not exempt. Little is known about the emotional well-being of NGNs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we share NGN psychological capital (PsyCap) trends from 2019 to 2022 and explore the relationship between NGN PsyCap and turnover. Organizational, leadership, and individual implications for practice are discussed. Findings from this study can help health care leaders tailor emotional development and coping strategies for this important segment of the nursing workforce.

Managing the Current Workforce: Status of New Graduate Nurse Well-being and Clinical Development 2018-2021.

A structured transition to practice (TTP) program is beneficial to the professional success and retention of new graduate nurses (NGNs). The COVID-19 pandemic impacted clinical preparation and the TTP experience of NGNs. Data from the Versant National Database between 2018 and 2021 were analyzed to determine the current state of NGN well-being and clinical development. Key findings from the analysis indicate that NGNs that are a part of a comprehensive TTP program remain highly committed to their organization, have increased satisfaction working with their colleagues, and indicate low intent to leave their position. However, there are opportunities to address individual rewards and recognition, clinical assignments, morale, feelings of belongingness, and well-being. These findings further support the importance of a nurse residency program as part of an overall workforce strategy and that individual, programmatic, and practice environment outcomes must be longitudinally measured and analyzed to be able to make necessary evidence-based changes to meet the future needs of NGNs and the profession.

Where Do We Go From Here?: The Impact of COVID-19 on Practice Readiness and Considerations for Nurse Leaders.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nurses transitioning to practice in a variety of ways over the past 2 years. Analysis from the Versant Database comparing new graduate nurses (NGNs) from 2018-2021 revealed a widened practice gap for NGNs in these specialty areas of practice: critical care, perinatal, and emergency. Additionally, NGNs achieved 100% competency validation sooner in 2020-2021. The analysis also revealed greater diversity of NGNs who participated in a transition to practice program in 2020-2021. Based on these findings, this article proposes recommendations for nurse leaders to consider as NGNs transition into the workforce.

The Nursing Professional Development Role in Fostering Professional Development, Leadership, and Academic Progression for New Graduate Registered Nurses.

As the new graduate nurse transitions from academia to practice, they commit to lifelong learning to enhance their professional and personal growth. This article provides a comparison between bachelor of science in nursing and associate degree nursing nurses who participated in a multisite national nurse residency program between 2015 and 2019 in areas of professional development, leadership, and academic progression during their initial 3 years of practice. It also provides nursing professional development practitioners with strategies from two national experts to support new graduate nurses during early practice.

Rapid Validation of Clinical Competencies in a Time of Crisis.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has tasked health care organizations at all levels to respond to critical issues such as procuring personal protective equipment, initiating safety policies and procedures, and rethinking staffing needs. This article describes a program that was designed to focus on rapid competency validation for organizations who had to dial up staffing to meet the immediate demands of the health care crisis.

Nurse Leaders' Assumptions and Attitudes Toward Residency Programs for New Graduate Nurses.

The Future of Nursing Report from 2010 offered key recommendations for the practice of nursing, including the need for nurse residency programs for all new graduate nurses. Although numerous articles can be found about the programs themselves, finding information about the support of nurse leaders for such programs is more challenging. In the spring of 2019, a small group of invited nurse leaders from across the United States met during a "Think Tank." The purpose of this gathering was to discuss a policy brief offered by the American Academy of Nursing requiring all new graduate registered nurses to participate in a nurse residency program as part of their transition into practice. To determine nurse leaders' assumptions and attitudes toward nurse residency programs, the think tank planners conducted a national survey. Over 500 members of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership participated in this survey. In this article, the authors offer that nurse leaders are supportive of residency programs for new graduate nurses although some are still struggling with demonstrating the value proposition. In addition, nurse leaders are not in support of a national mandate.

Tracking medical errors and near misses in the new graduate registered nurse.

This article provides a narrative that describes the current state of medical errors and near misses in the general health care setting and for new graduate registered nurses specifically. It then proposes a "wild idea" to create a national database for the reporting of errors that would act as a call to action to change our current reporting system to one of transparency and shared information for the purpose of creating needed education in both academic and practice settings.

The Construction and Validation of a Self-Efficacy Instrument for New Graduate Nurses in a Transition to Practice Program.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Transition to practice programs are an expectation for new graduate RNs and there is a need for quality outcome measures. The concept of self-efficacy was explored, and a tool developed, to identify the RN's belief regarding their capacity to perform select clinical competencies. The purpose of this study was to validate the psychometric properties of the Versant Self-Efficacy tool. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on data obtained between July 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016. The sample included 901 new graduate RNs at multisite locations. Reliability and validity of the tool was examined. RESULTS: The Versant Self-Efficacy tool demonstrated positive results for factor structure and internal reliability. CONCLUSION: The Self-Efficacy tool has proven to be a robust, psychometrically sound tool to measure the self-efficacy of new graduate RNs.

The Married State Approach to Precepting.

Preceptor role development, support, and recognition are critical elements of a successful preceptor program. The Married State Preceptorship Model was developed to enhance the transition experience for both preceptor and preceptee. This article provides an overview of the married state approach in precepting to increase participant engagement, thus supporting the RN's transition experience. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2018;49(11):514-518.

Debriefing as a Supportive Component for Registered Nurses in Transition.

Debriefing is considered a positive approach used to evaluate learning, support communication, and explore emotions following simulation or a clinical experience. This article discusses the use of debriefing as an evolving strategy for new graduate nurses and focuses on the importance of structured clinical debriefing as a component to relieve stress while providing periods of reflection and cohesion.

Improving retention, confidence, and competence of new graduate nurses: results from a 10-year longitudinal database.

Developing competent and confident new graduate nurses who remain with their hospitals is a major challenge. A structured evidence-based RN residency was developed and implemented in hospitals across the United States. Outcomes data were collected from over 6000 new graduate nurses who completed the RN residency over a 10-year period. The results indicate an accelerated increase in competence and self-confidence and a significant decrease in turnover intent and actual turnover. This study provides persuasive evidence that both new graduate nurses and their organizations benefit from the implementation of a structured, clinical immersion RN residency.