Navigating a nursing career four years after graduation: A qualitative descriptive study exploring drivers of staying amid wanting to leave

IF 3.3 3区医学 Q1 NURSING

Nurse Education in Practice Pub Date : 2025-05-01 DOI:10.1016/j.nepr.2025.104360

Daniel Terry , Liz Ryan , Jessica Elliott , Tracey Tulleners , Di Stratton-Maher , Barbara Black , Jo Southern , Natasha Reedy , Linda Ng , Thenuja Jayasinghe , Danielle Gleeson , Joanne Buckley , Jing-Yu (Benjamin) Tan , Blake Peck

{"title":"Navigating a nursing career four years after graduation: A qualitative descriptive study exploring drivers of staying amid wanting to leave","authors":"Daniel Terry , Liz Ryan , Jessica Elliott , Tracey Tulleners , Di Stratton-Maher , Barbara Black , Jo Southern , Natasha Reedy , Linda Ng , Thenuja Jayasinghe , Danielle Gleeson , Joanne Buckley , Jing-Yu (Benjamin) Tan , Blake Peck","doi":"10.1016/j.nepr.2025.104360","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aim</h3><div>To explore the lived experience of Early Career Nurses four years post-graduation and identify factors influencing their decision to stay in or leave the profession.</div></div><div><h3>Background</h3><div>The retention of Early Career Nurses is a critical issue globally, with many leaving the profession within the first few years. Various interventions have been implemented to support Early Career Nurses, but the complexities of retention require a more nuanced understanding, particularly for those in the latter stages of their transition.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>A qualitative descriptive study.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Early Career Nurses who participated in a longitudinal study as undergraduate nursing students were interviewed 48 months after graduation. The study used phenomenological approach to explore key experiences and phenomena. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis, adhering to COREQ guidelines.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Among the 25 participants, key themes identified included being ‘Overworked and undervalued’ and being ‘Anchored by care.’ Early Career Nurses experienced significant pressures, including incivility, poor management and staffing shortages, leading to a desire to leave the profession. However, a strong commitment to patient care and support from peers and family helped some Early Career Nurses remain in the profession.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The study highlights the need for systemic changes to support Early Career Nurses, including empathetic leadership, adequate training and supportive work environments. Addressing these issues is essential for the wellbeing of Early Career Nurses and maintaining high standards of patient care. Understanding the unique challenges faced by Early Career Nurses can inform strategies to improve retention and support their professional development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48715,"journal":{"name":"Nurse Education in Practice","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 104360"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nurse Education in Practice","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471595325001167","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim

To explore the lived experience of Early Career Nurses four years post-graduation and identify factors influencing their decision to stay in or leave the profession.

Background

The retention of Early Career Nurses is a critical issue globally, with many leaving the profession within the first few years. Various interventions have been implemented to support Early Career Nurses, but the complexities of retention require a more nuanced understanding, particularly for those in the latter stages of their transition.

Design

A qualitative descriptive study.

Methods

Early Career Nurses who participated in a longitudinal study as undergraduate nursing students were interviewed 48 months after graduation. The study used phenomenological approach to explore key experiences and phenomena. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis, adhering to COREQ guidelines.

Results

Among the 25 participants, key themes identified included being ‘Overworked and undervalued’ and being ‘Anchored by care.’ Early Career Nurses experienced significant pressures, including incivility, poor management and staffing shortages, leading to a desire to leave the profession. However, a strong commitment to patient care and support from peers and family helped some Early Career Nurses remain in the profession.

Conclusion

The study highlights the need for systemic changes to support Early Career Nurses, including empathetic leadership, adequate training and supportive work environments. Addressing these issues is essential for the wellbeing of Early Career Nurses and maintaining high standards of patient care. Understanding the unique challenges faced by Early Career Nurses can inform strategies to improve retention and support their professional development.

查看原文本刊更多论文

毕业四年后的护理生涯：一项定性描述性研究探讨了留在想要离开的驱动因素

目的探讨早期职业护士毕业后4年的生活经历，找出影响其决定留在或离开职业的因素。在全球范围内，早期职业护士的保留是一个关键问题，许多人在最初几年就离开了这个行业。已经实施了各种干预措施来支持早期职业护士，但保留的复杂性需要更细致的理解，特别是对于那些处于过渡后期的护士。设计定性描述性研究。方法采用纵向研究的方法，对本科护生早期职业护士在毕业48个月后进行访谈。本研究采用现象学方法探讨关键经验与现象。根据COREQ的指导方针，使用主题分析对数据进行分析。结果在25名参与者中，确定的关键主题包括“过度劳累和被低估”和“被照顾所锚定”。“早期的护士职业经历了巨大的压力，包括不礼貌、管理不善和人员短缺，导致人们想要离开这个行业。”然而，对病人护理的坚定承诺和来自同伴和家庭的支持帮助一些早期职业护士留在这个行业。结论本研究强调需要系统性的改变来支持早期职业护士，包括移情领导、充分的培训和支持性的工作环境。解决这些问题对于早期职业护士的福祉和保持高标准的患者护理至关重要。了解早期职业护士面临的独特挑战可以为提高保留率和支持其专业发展提供策略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Nurse Education in Practice NURSING-

CiteScore

5.40

自引率

9.40%

发文量

180

审稿时长

51 days

期刊介绍： Nurse Education in Practice enables lecturers and practitioners to both share and disseminate evidence that demonstrates the actual practice of education as it is experienced in the realities of their respective work environments. It is supportive of new authors and will be at the forefront in publishing individual and collaborative papers that demonstrate the link between education and practice.