The first year of professional nursing is often a highly stressful one for new nurse graduates and results in a third leaving their jobs within one year and nearly 60 percent in two years. Although health care organizations spend significant time and resources on nurse recruitment, orientation and training, new nurse graduates still account for more than 50 percent of turnover in some hospitals. This turnover is attributed to that fact that many graduates find in their first year of employment that disparities between the student and staff nurse roles create professional and personal struggles that are difficult to manage.

A recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins School of Nursing faculty members Robin P. Newhouse, Janice J. Hoffman and others — published in the current issue of Nursing Administration Quarterly — examines a possible solution: a resource-intensive internship program called SPRING (for Social and Professional Reality Integration for Nursing Graduates) that could improve new nurse graduate retention, sense of belonging, organizational commitment and anticipated turnover.

The authors note that nurse graduates who completed the SPRING internship program had higher one-year retention rates than a similar group who had not undergone the training. According to Newhouse and colleagues, "Nurse graduates in their first year ... do not perceive a high level of skill, comfort or confidence, thus indicating the need for extended orientation and support programs to promote transition into practice."

GO TO FEBRUARY 12, 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
GO TO THE GAZETTE FRONT PAGE.