Nursing

In the mix: Achieving a near-perfect retention rate

Stressed Out Nurses Weekly, April 5, 2010

The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) AACN Nurse Residency Program™ (NRP) has helped program participants achieve a 4.4% turnover rate of first-year nurses—quite a feat, considering the national rate is 27.1%.

So far, 61 sites have incorporated the program, which equates to about 16,000 participating nurses since 2002. In 2009, 11 participating sites had a 100% retention rate.

It seems the key to the program is providing practice clinical training. According to the Carnegie Foundation, both nursing students and faculty think nurses are not prepared for their first job. If nurses don’t feel prepared, there's a much greater chance they'll quit the first year.

I'm curious to know how you, as nurses, felt about your first year of nursing, and how much it varies between nurses.

Did your hospital have this program? Did it help? How did you survive your first year? Do you remember feeling that your clinical training was adequate? Share your thoughts with other nurses at StressedOutNurses.com.

 

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