Newly Licensed RNs' Characteristics, Work Attitudes, and Intentions to Work

A Better Understanding of Newly Licensed RN's and Their Employment Patterns is Crucial to Reducing Turnover Rates

In this article, researchers presented findings from the first wave of a three-year panel study on the work experience of newly licensed nurses. A randomly selected sample of 3,266 newly licensed RNs from 60 sites across the country participated in the study. RNs completed a multipage survey that addressed several aspects of their current employment.

Key Findings:

  • The majority of study participants held associate's degrees (58.1%). Approximately one-third of the RNs obtained bachelor's degree (37.6%) while 4.3 percent had professional degrees.
  • Study participants worked at their jobs for an average of 9.6 months. Almost 85 percent of RNs worked in inpatient hospitals.
  • The average job satisfaction rating for the study sample was 5.2 on a 7-point scale. RNs rated their intent to remain at their current job an average of 3.4 on a 5-point scale.
  • Despite relatively high levels of job satisfaction, 37 percent of RNs stated they might look for another job within the year.
  • RNs reported verbal abuse as the most frequently encountered injury at work (62%); 21 percent of study participants suffered cuts or lacerations and 25 percent detailed one or more needle-sticks.
  • RNs described high work-group cohesion (4.1 on a 5-point scale) but somewhat lower support from supervisors (3.6 on a 5-point scale).
  • Retention of newly licensed RNs at hospitals might be improved with enhanced job orientation and management.

The RN Work Project

  1. 1 Newly Licensed RNs' Characteristics, Work Attitudes, and Intentions to Work
  2. 2 Addressing the Complexities of Survey Research
  3. 3 A Comparison of Second-Degree Baccalaureate and Traditional-Baccalaureate New Graduate RNs
  4. 4 Understanding New Registered Nurses' Intent to Stay at Their Jobs
  5. 5 The Nursing Career Process from Application Through the First 2 Years of Employment
  6. 6 What Newly Licensed Registered Nurses Have to Say about Their First Experiences
  7. 7 Moving on, Up, or Out
  8. 8 Generational Differences Among Newly Licensed Registered Nurses
  9. 9 New Nurses¿ Views of Quality Improvement Education
  10. 10 Newly Licensed RNs Describe What They Like Best about Being a Nurse
  11. 11 Early Career RNs' Perceptions of Quality Care in the Hospital Setting
  12. 12 Commuting to Work
  13. 13 State Mandatory Overtime Regulations and Newly Licensed Nurses' Mandatory and Voluntary Overtime and Total Work Hours
  14. 14 Work Environment Factors Other Than Staffing Associated with Nurses' Ratings of Patient Care Quality
  15. 15 The Relative Geographic Immobility of New Registered Nurses Calls for New Strategies to Augment that Workforce
  16. 16 Predictors of Actual Turnover in a National Sample of Newly Licensed Registered Nurses Employed in Hospitals
  17. 17 Charting the Course for Nurses' Achievement of Higher Education Levels

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