Abstract
Background: Nursing students often face challenges in gaining adequate exposure to diverse clinical settings. This can make choosing a first nursing job difficult, leading to potential dissatisfaction and turnover. In a 12-hospital system, a novel initiative was designed to address this issue by providing nursing students with immersive clinical experiences in various departments, facilitating a smoother transition into their professional nursing roles.
Methods: Nurse technicians (nurse techs) are nursing students hired into the system to gain hands-on experience. The pilot program was launched in May 2022 across 9 Collaborative Business Units (CBUs) within a hospital system in Washington state. The program team consists of one director, one NPDA (Nursing Professional Development Associate), and one NPD (Nursing Professional Development Specialist). Nurse techs rotate through different departments every 18 weeks gaining exposure to various specialties and nursing teams. The NPD Specialist facilitates rotations based on interests and career goals and provides ongoing coaching to support professional development and ensure a successful experience.
Results: To date 225 nurse techs have participated in the program. Several participants discovered that initially desired specialties were not a good fit, enabling them to explore alternative areas. A total of 47% of program participants transitioned into the organization's Transition to Practice Program (TTP), a 34% increase compared to previous student nurse transition rates. Notably, the TTP program has realized a 98% 1-year retention rate after the launch of the Nurse Tech program. Preliminary data suggests positive trends in nurse retention and satisfaction among program participants. The program encourages a broad distribution of new nurses across specialties, with choices ranging from emergency departments (19%) to critical care (32%), and medical-surgical (13%), among others.
Limitations: Further research is needed to assess the long-term sustainability of these results and the program's impact on nurse retention, satisfaction, and recruitment.
Conclusion: The Nurse Tech Program empowers nursing students to make informed decisions about their first nursing job by prioritizing environmental fit and peer connection. This proactive approach to career development has the potential to improve nurse retention, job satisfaction, and recruitment efforts, contributing to a more stable and fulfilled nursing workforce.
Notes
References: Collegian: Journal of the Royal College of Nursing Australia; April 2024, Vol. 31 Issue: Number 2 p69-76, 8p
Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing; July 2016, Vol. 47 Issue: Number 7 p330-340, 11p
Koskinen S, Brugnolli A, Fuster-Linares P, et al. A successful nursing education promotes newly graduated nurses’ job satisfaction one year after graduation: a cross-sectional multi-country study. BMC Nursing. 2023;22(1):1-10. doi:10.1186/s12912-023-01438-y
Zhang J, Xia L, Wang Y, et al. Predictive factors of turnover intention of newly graduated nurses in their first year of employment: a longitudinal study. BMC Nursing. 2024;23(1):1-12. doi:10.1186/s12912-024-02
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Mentoring, Coaching, Transition to Practice, Onboarding, Workforce
Recommended Citation
Dunks, Jessica; Yearous, Lois; Rhyner, Judi; Calabro, Emily; Jones, Keith; and Reagan, Earlene, "Finding the Right Fit: How Rotations and Mentorship Shape Successful Nursing Careers" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 55.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/55
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Finding the Right Fit: How Rotations and Mentorship Shape Successful Nursing Careers
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Background: Nursing students often face challenges in gaining adequate exposure to diverse clinical settings. This can make choosing a first nursing job difficult, leading to potential dissatisfaction and turnover. In a 12-hospital system, a novel initiative was designed to address this issue by providing nursing students with immersive clinical experiences in various departments, facilitating a smoother transition into their professional nursing roles.
Methods: Nurse technicians (nurse techs) are nursing students hired into the system to gain hands-on experience. The pilot program was launched in May 2022 across 9 Collaborative Business Units (CBUs) within a hospital system in Washington state. The program team consists of one director, one NPDA (Nursing Professional Development Associate), and one NPD (Nursing Professional Development Specialist). Nurse techs rotate through different departments every 18 weeks gaining exposure to various specialties and nursing teams. The NPD Specialist facilitates rotations based on interests and career goals and provides ongoing coaching to support professional development and ensure a successful experience.
Results: To date 225 nurse techs have participated in the program. Several participants discovered that initially desired specialties were not a good fit, enabling them to explore alternative areas. A total of 47% of program participants transitioned into the organization's Transition to Practice Program (TTP), a 34% increase compared to previous student nurse transition rates. Notably, the TTP program has realized a 98% 1-year retention rate after the launch of the Nurse Tech program. Preliminary data suggests positive trends in nurse retention and satisfaction among program participants. The program encourages a broad distribution of new nurses across specialties, with choices ranging from emergency departments (19%) to critical care (32%), and medical-surgical (13%), among others.
Limitations: Further research is needed to assess the long-term sustainability of these results and the program's impact on nurse retention, satisfaction, and recruitment.
Conclusion: The Nurse Tech Program empowers nursing students to make informed decisions about their first nursing job by prioritizing environmental fit and peer connection. This proactive approach to career development has the potential to improve nurse retention, job satisfaction, and recruitment efforts, contributing to a more stable and fulfilled nursing workforce.
Description
In this session you’ll learn how one organization addresses the challenge of nursing students finding the right first job by offering clinical rotations and career guidance in a nurse tech program. Nurse techs rotate through various units, gaining experience to identify their preferred specialties. This approach has led to positive trends in nurse retention and satisfaction, demonstrating how structured rotations and mentorship foster successful transition from nursing education to practice.