A Culture of Mutual Support: Discovering Why New Nurses Stay in Nursing

• Published in: The Journal of continuing education in nursing Vol. 42; no. 9; pp. 409 - 414
• Main Authors: Zeller, Edna L, Doutrich, Dawn, Guido, Ginny W, Hoeksel, Renee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SLACK INCORPORATED 01.09.2011
• Subjects: Adult; Employment; Female; Hermeneutics; Hospitals; Humans; Interprofessional Relations; Job Satisfaction; Licenses; Literature Reviews; Male; Middle Aged; Negative Attitudes; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing Methodology Research; Nursing Service, Hospital - organization & administration; Nursing Staff, Hospital - organization & administration; Nursing Staff, Hospital - psychology; Organizational Culture; Patients; Phenomenology; Professional relationships; Research Committees; Researchers; Scheduling; Work Experience; United States > US
• ISSN: 0022-0124; 1938-2472
• DOI: 10.3928/00220124-20110615-02

New nurse retention and satisfaction has been a recurring topic of research and concern for nursing administrators and educators. As the nursing shortage continues to grow, the retention of new nurses becomes even more important. Most research has focused on why new nurses leave nursing. This article describes the experiences of six new nurses who chose to stay in their first nursing position for 2 years. The qualitative results suggest that even though they felt underprepared, the nurses persevered and remained resilient because of a culture of mutual support. The study participants suggested that individuals contemplating nursing as a career need to “enter with their eyes open,” stay strong and “persevere,” and foster a “culture of mutual support.”