It’s 7 a.m., a newly licensed nurse walks onto a hospital floor for their third week on the job. They have the knowledge, the credentials and the drive to care for their patients, but also a quiet, growing uncertainty, asking themselves, “Am I truly ready for this?”
This moment is a troubling reality beneath the celebration of National Nurses Week and it’s playing out in healthcare facilities across the country.
Each year, we recognize and celebrate the extraordinary compassion, skill and resilience of our nurses. Nurses are at the heart of patient care, one of our nation’s most noble professions. As we celebrate the nurses in our communities, we must also confront a quieter challenge shaping the future of the profession.
Too many nurses are leaving the bedside almost as quickly as they arrive.
Nurses are some of the most resilient professionals in the workforce, but resilience alone is not a strategy for retention. Newly licensed nurses move almost overnight from supervised learners to fully accountable clinicians. They care for sick patients in increasingly complex systems and often while navigating staffing shortages and heavier workloads.
The result is a pattern that’s become impossible to miss. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s 2024 workforce data, nearly one in four new nurses leaves their first position within a year. Additional workforce research points to burnout and workload as major factors in nurses walking away from the profession. These data points often create a narrative around the nursing shortage that implies a talent pipeline problem, but it highlights a deeper pain point ― while we are struggling to bring new nurses into the profession, we are having an even harder time convincing them to stay.
Pizza parties and token perks, while well-intended and always appreciated, are not what keep nurses at the bedside.
Some argue turnover is inevitable in a high-stakes profession like nursing. But that perspective risks accepting a preventable problem as an unavoidable conclusion. The environments we create through training, mentorship and support play a decisive role newly licensed nurses adapting and progressing in the profession. If we are serious about stabilizing the nursing workforce, we must start by better preparing nurses, not just clinically, but emotionally and psychologically, for what awaits them on the first shift of their careers.
An encouraging new era in nursing is beginning to take shape across the country. Forward-thinking institutions such as competency-based programs are reimagining how nurses are prepared for practice. Competency-based models go beyond traditional instruction, focusing not only on knowledge acquisition but also strongly emphasizing readiness, confidence and long-term success.
Simulation, hands-on-learning and academic-practice partnerships are helping bridge the gap between classroom and clinical care. Students gain real-world experience, build decision-making skills in controlled environments and enter the workforce better equipped for the realities of patient care.
And even then, the evidence suggests that technical preparation alone is not enough for new nurses. What happens after a nurse’s first shift is just as important as what happens before it.
Nurse residency programs are among the most effective tools we have, though not widely common; they are growing. These structured, evidence-based programs extend orientation, provide mentorship and create space for reflection and continued skill development. Research suggests residency programs improve confidence and competence while increasing retention rates among new graduates. Making residency programs the standard rather than the exception would be a meaningful step forward.
Mentorship is equally critical and is often the difference between a nurse who feels capable and one who feels overwhelmed. When new nurses have consistent, supportive mentors, they are more likely to build confidence, develop stronger clinical judgement and, ultimately, generate a genuine sense of belonging within their organization. Studies show that mentorship significantly improves retention and reduces early turnover.
There is plenty of progress for optimism. Healthcare systems are investing in residency programs and stronger academic partnerships. Educational institutions are expanding access through flexible, online pathways that reach students in rural and underserved communities where the pain points of the nursing profession are often felt the deepest.
But this progress must be accelerated and scaled. Healthcare leaders, policymakers and educators need to commit to making structured transition-to-practice support a standard expectation across the profession. The future of nursing will not be defined only by how many individuals who enter the field, but by how many nurses are empowered to stay, grow and lead.
Let us celebrate the selfless dedication of nurses this week, but commit each day to building the systems that retain them in the profession.
Lisa Wagner is the Regional Nursing Director at Western Governors University.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Why new nurses are leaving the bedside so quickly | Opinion
Reporting by Lisa Wagner / The Detroit News
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