Other Titles
Building a Resilient New Grad Nurse: A MIxed Methods Study [Title Slide]
Abstract
Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of the resilience education built into the Transition to Practice Program (TTP).
Research Question: Does prioritizing wellness in a TTP build a resilient New Graduate Nurse (NGN)?
Background: Fontanie et. al., (2021) define resilience as an individual’s ability to overcome and rebound from adversity. NGN are rapidly entering the workforce ill prepared for the stressful environments (Ulupinar & Aydogan, 2021). Within the first year, approximately 23.8% of these NGN will leave the profession (National Healthcare Retention & RN Staffing Report, 2024). TTP aid NGN in their transition from student to professional (Miller et. al., 2023). A desired outcome of TTP is an increase in NGN resiliency. When met with transition challenges, it’s key for NGN to develop resiliency to healthily continue in nursing practice. TTP aids in fostering resiliency through support, cohort interactions, and wellness initiatives. As the NGN becomes more resilient, it is anticipated retention rates will improve and staffing within facilities will stabilize.
Methodology: The study design is a retrospective mixed method in a multi-site hospital setting in a Southern US state. A total of 1438 nurses were surveyed from a larger sample size of 1939 NGN onboarded from July 2022 through April 2024 with a 54% return rate. All NGN were polled at 6 and 12 months of employment using a revised Casey Fink graduate nurse experience survey. In addition, all 1939 were polled monthly about their wellness using an internal, self-evaluation tool. Results: The results demonstrated a mix of effectiveness. The data shows 51.48% of returned surveys were answered showing signs of not coping with stress. This stress often leads to NGN leaving the system or nursing altogether (Jarden et al., 2021). Shifting the focus of wellness initiatives is imperative to build resiliency.
Practice Implications: Operationalization of wellness strategies is necessary to build a foundation of resilience among NGN. As hospitals increasingly need to hire NGN to fill their vacancies, dedication must be paid to improving their mental well-being to prevent burnout and improve job satisfaction alongside retention. Ultimately, NGN individual ownership of professional growth and wellness is key to the development of resiliency.
Notes
Reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Transition to Practice, Onboarding, Novice Nurses, New Graduate Nurses, Evidence-Based Nursing Implementation, Resilience, Stress and Coping, Continuing Nursing Education
Recommended Citation
Richardson, Kristie L.; Williamson, Lauren; Palmer, Catherine; and Howard, Andrea Wilkins, "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Resilience Education in Transition to Practice Program" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 224.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/224
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, 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. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-06
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Resilience Education in Transition to Practice Program
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of the resilience education built into the Transition to Practice Program (TTP).
Research Question: Does prioritizing wellness in a TTP build a resilient New Graduate Nurse (NGN)?
Background: Fontanie et. al., (2021) define resilience as an individual’s ability to overcome and rebound from adversity. NGN are rapidly entering the workforce ill prepared for the stressful environments (Ulupinar & Aydogan, 2021). Within the first year, approximately 23.8% of these NGN will leave the profession (National Healthcare Retention & RN Staffing Report, 2024). TTP aid NGN in their transition from student to professional (Miller et. al., 2023). A desired outcome of TTP is an increase in NGN resiliency. When met with transition challenges, it’s key for NGN to develop resiliency to healthily continue in nursing practice. TTP aids in fostering resiliency through support, cohort interactions, and wellness initiatives. As the NGN becomes more resilient, it is anticipated retention rates will improve and staffing within facilities will stabilize.
Methodology: The study design is a retrospective mixed method in a multi-site hospital setting in a Southern US state. A total of 1438 nurses were surveyed from a larger sample size of 1939 NGN onboarded from July 2022 through April 2024 with a 54% return rate. All NGN were polled at 6 and 12 months of employment using a revised Casey Fink graduate nurse experience survey. In addition, all 1939 were polled monthly about their wellness using an internal, self-evaluation tool. Results: The results demonstrated a mix of effectiveness. The data shows 51.48% of returned surveys were answered showing signs of not coping with stress. This stress often leads to NGN leaving the system or nursing altogether (Jarden et al., 2021). Shifting the focus of wellness initiatives is imperative to build resiliency.
Practice Implications: Operationalization of wellness strategies is necessary to build a foundation of resilience among NGN. As hospitals increasingly need to hire NGN to fill their vacancies, dedication must be paid to improving their mental well-being to prevent burnout and improve job satisfaction alongside retention. Ultimately, NGN individual ownership of professional growth and wellness is key to the development of resiliency.
Description
A retrospective study of the wellness program within the Transition to Practice Program. The study looked at 1438 nurses in the program. It took place from July 2022 through April 2024. New graduates were polled using Casey Fink graduate nurse experience survey and using a home built tool to self evaluate how often new graduate nurses are performing wellness. During this study there were opportunities for improvement identified that could be used to strengthen their wellness and resiliency.