New Nurse Retention: Strategies for Long-Term Success

With the current nursing shortage, nurse retention is more than just a staffing challenge. It’s a matter of patient safety, quality of care, and organizational stability. Newly licensed nurses are especially at risk of leaving, with studies showing a concerning percentage exiting the profession within their first year. Understanding why this happens and what can be done about it is critical for healthcare employers seeking to build a resilient workforce.

How Many Nurses Leave the Profession Within the First Years?

New nurse retention is one of the most pressing issues in healthcare today. Research suggests that approximately as high as 33% of newly licensed registered nurses leave the profession within their first two years. This number underscores just how difficult the transition from nursing school to practice can be.

For employers, every nurse who leaves represents a significant investment lost – both financially and in workforce continuity. Estimates suggest that replacing a single bedside nurse can cost an average of $40,038 when factoring in recruitment, training, and onboarding.

High turnover doesn’t just drain budgets. It also places additional strain on existing staff, creating a cycle that can fuel even more resignations. Retention in nursing, particularly the retention of staff nurses, is essential for the stability of healthcare organizations. Strong new nurse retention lays the foundation for building an experienced, engaged nursing workforce.

Why Do New Nurses Leave the Profession?

High turnover among new nurses isn’t due to a single factor but rather a combination of stressors that make the early years especially challenging. Some of the factors affecting new nurse retention include:

• Workload pressures: Coming from an increasingly supportive academic environment, many new nurses find themselves unprepared for the intensity of full patient loads, long shifts, and the emotional weight of the role.
• Lack of support: Without adequate mentoring, guidance, and encouragement, new nurses can feel isolated and overwhelmed.
• Workplace culture: Toxic healthcare work environments, bullying, or lack of teamwork drive nurses away quickly.
• Limited growth opportunities: If new nurses don’t see a clear career path, they may leave to pursue other roles inside or outside of healthcare.
• Burnout and stress: Emotional exhaustion is a leading reason for early departures, especially when combined with insufficient mental health resources.

Ultimately, understanding why new nurses leave the profession is the first step for employers to design meaningful retention strategies that address the real challenges nurses face.

What Does New Nurse Retention Look Like?

Retention in nursing doesn’t always mean keeping nurses in the exact same role indefinitely. Instead, it can involve:

• Year-one retention: Supporting first-year nurses through onboarding, mentoring, and training so they remain in their initial roles past the first year.
• Internal mobility: Nurses may shift from one unit to another (e.g., med-surg to ICU) while still staying within the organization. Supporting these moves keeps valuable talent in-house.
• Career advancement: Nurses who grow into leadership, education, or specialized roles remain part of the nursing profession, even if they no longer serve as bedside staff.
• Long-term engagement in healthcare: Even if a nurse transitions into a related healthcare career, ensuring their positive experience in their early years helps sustain the broader workforce.

Retention in nursing, then, is about building career longevity and engagement, not simply preventing movement. At the same time, healthcare organizations must also focus on retaining staff nurses, since consistency at the bedside is essential to maintaining high-quality patient care.

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Retention of Staff Nurses

Staff nurses are the backbone of hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and long-term care facilities, and keeping them satisfied is vital to both patient outcomes and workforce stability. Retention of staff nurses requires:

• Safe staffing levels: Preventing burnout by ensuring nurses are not chronically overworked.
• Fair compensation: Competitive pay and benefits that reflect the intensity and demands of nursing roles.
• Supportive management: Nurse managers who advocate for their teams and maintain open communication.
• Recognition and respect: Staff nurses want their contributions acknowledged, from saving lives to supporting families.
• Work-life balance: Flexible scheduling options and adequate paid time off are critical for long-term retention.

New nurses can be either the strongest advocates or the biggest detractors for attracting new talent. Their connections to the next generation of nurses can significantly amplify (or hinder) recruitment efforts.

8 Practical New Nurse Retention Strategies

Developing targeted nurse retention strategies can reduce costly turnover and build a strong foundation for the next generation of healthcare professionals.

1. Strengthen Onboarding Programs

A well-structured onboarding program sets the tone for a nurse’s experience. Go beyond basic orientation by offering extended preceptorships, phased patient assignments, and shadowing opportunities to build confidence.

Pro Tip: Onboarding doesn’t stop after 30 days. Consider extending onboarding support for up to a year, with monthly check-ins and skill-building workshops.

2. Implement Nurse Mentorship Programs

Mentorship has a proven impact on retention of staff nurses. Pairing first-year nurses with experienced mentors provides emotional support, skill development, and a sense of belonging.

Pro Tip: Read our article, How to Start a Successful Mentoring Program in Healthcare.

3. Create a Culture of Belonging

New nurses thrive in environments where they feel connected and respected. Fostering teamwork, open communication, and inclusivity reduces the sense of isolation that drives many to leave.

Pro Tip: Explore actionable strategies in our article, Creating a Sense of Belonging in the Healthcare Workplace.

4. Offer Clear Career Pathways

Retention in nursing improves when employees see a future for themselves in the profession. Show new nurses how they can advance through certifications, specialty roles, or leadership training.

Pro Tip: Consider using a “Nurse Career Ladder” program with bonuses and title changes for completing certifications.

5. Support Mental Health and Wellness

Burnout is one of the biggest reasons new nurses leave. Providing mental health resources, wellness programs, and peer support groups signals that employers prioritize well-being.

Pro Tip: Ask second- and third-year nurses what programs they would have appreciated during their first year on the job. Empower them to be a part of the development of these new programs to promote retention of current nurses, too.

6. Recognize and Celebrate Successes

Celebrating milestones – such as completing orientation, achieving certification, or hitting one-year anniversaries – reinforces positive feelings about the profession and organization.

Pro Tip: Make these celebrations more meaningful with employee recognition perks.

7. Monitor and Respond to Feedback

Regular interviews or surveys give employers insight into what drives turnover and what helps retention. Acting on this feedback demonstrates commitment to continuous improvement, and promotes a culture of employee retention.

Pro Tip: Pay close attention during exit interviews and stay interviews to determine what is driving or hindering your new nurse retention.

8. Address Toxic Workplace Behaviors

Up to 90% of nurses report experiencing workplace bullying at some point in their careers. Identifying and resolving toxic healthcare workplace environments is one of the most important nurse retention strategies. Enforcing respectful workplace policies and training managers to address issues promptly strengthens retention.

Pro Tip: Create an anonymous hotline for all employees to feel empowered to report bullying or other toxic behaviors without fear of retribution.

New Nurse Retention Starts With Support

New nurse retention is one of the most urgent challenges in healthcare today, with nearly one in five leaving the profession within their first year. Employers can reverse this trend by addressing the unique needs of early-career nurses through strong onboarding, mentoring, wellness support, and opportunities for growth.

Ultimately, retention of staff nurses depends on creating a culture where new nurses feel safe, supported, and valued. When healthcare organizations commit to these nurse retention strategies, they not only keep talented professionals in their workforce but also strengthen the future of their organization as a whole.

Looking for more nurse hiring and retention tips? Check out the iHireNursing Resource Center.