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The transition from a new graduate nurse to a staff nurse can be an overwhelming and demanding experience.  New graduate nurses are entering new positions and feeling isolated and dismayed in their new environment. As a growing hospital in today’s society, we must begin to look for ways to retain and nurture our new graduate nurses.  Hospitals spend millions of dollars training new graduate nurses, only to lose 35% to 69% of the newly hired employees because of feelings of pressure, inadequacy, and anxiety.

Our hospital hires a large number of new graduates each year, many of which begin their careers in specialty areas such as Labor and Delivery and NICU.  It is common on average to train a new graduate in a specialty area at a cost of as much as $64,000.  Our goal with our new Mentoring Program in Women and Children’s is to provide a structured, nurturing environment in which a recent graduate nurse feels comfortable to begin his/her journey. 

Implementation of this program will begin with training for the assigned mentors along with having reference materials available at all times.  The Mentors will maintain the quality standards of the mentor program with a signed contract of their commitment to this program.  The protégé will be given the opportunity to choose his/her mentor and weekly meetings will be held to maintain the lines of communication and network of support. The journey begins as early as possible in order to give the protégé every opportunity to adjust to their surroundings.

We believe that every nurse deserves the opportunity to succeed and grow in his/her environment. We hope to see a significant increase in the number of new graduates remaining in their current positions. We will provide the new graduate nurse with the training and support to positively impact the skills, knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes they will need to become part of a growing team of individuals dedicated to nursing.