Retaining and Helping Millennial Nurses to "Get Ahead"

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC

The turnover of Millennial staff in the first two years of practice has become a growing concern for many nurse leaders. The churn of new graduates can easily cause organizational disruption and lead to safety issues. Why millennial nurses leave employers is a complex issue and one that has not been well studied. What we do know is that this generation is driven by career ambition and a “need to get ahead”. Millennials nurses want their leaders to be coaches. They place significant value on organizations and leaders that devote time and energy to helping them to both transition in their current roles but also assist in career planning for their next step. Leaders who have a traditional mindset about being grateful to have a job and “paying your dues before advancing” will fail to engage this generation who have very different ideas about career progress.

Intentional professional development planning with bench marks accompanied by regular coaching sessions may ultimately prove to be the most effective strategy to help millennials grow in place. Currently for many staff of this generation, getting ahead means either seeking a role in another organization or returning to graduate school usually with the intention of moving into an advance practice role. I have found that many nurse managers never push back on these career plans.

The following are some innovative ideas that I have heard from nurse leaders and residency directors designed to help new graduates feel like they are getting ahead in career planning:

Try it for a day experiences – whether it be working in the Emergency Room, ICU or with a nurse practitioner. I have heard that new graduates often change their minds after a real world experience.
Find out what you are good at – many organizations have their new graduates take assessments such as Strength Finders and DISC to learn more about themselves and their talents.
Listen to the experts – some coaches incorporate specific Ted talks and YouTube videos from well known leaders and career coaches such as Simon Senek, Brene Brown and Daniel Pink. I also really like the podcasts Read to Lead and LeadX for development.
Form a Toast Masters group – no matter what you want to do in your nursing career, strong communication skills will be important. Toast Masters International offers the ability for organizations to offer onsite programs.
Take on a stretch leadership role – there are always projects that can be assigned to new graduates which with good mentoring can be tremendous growth experiences.
Join a professional association and then a committee – professional organizations can be a great way for new graduates to hone their leadership skills and develop what is sometimes called social proof of their accomplishments.
Teach financial skills – so many new graduates are in serious debt upon graduation. Employers can help new graduates to build their financial skills through classes such as SmartDollar offered by the Ramsey corporation as a low cost turn key package. This can help new graduates to get on track, stay out of debt and plan for retirement. With more financial education, many new graduates would likely postpone graduate school until they have saved the money.
Build a network in the organization – some organizations give new graduates assignments to interview leaders in the organization and learn more about how they built their careers.
Seek certification – begin planting the seeds for certification from the beginning employment by having the new graduate investigate what is required and build it into their development plan.
Hold an emerging nurse leader workshop – most undergraduate programs have limited content on leadership so an emerging leader workshop early in one’s career can be very helpful to begin developing leadership skills.

It is powerful when a leader conveys to a young nurse that they believe in them and want to help them grow. The ideas above are only some of the many that have been shared with me. The investment that a nurse leader makes in becoming a skilled coach as part of their leadership role can have a profound influence on the engagement and retention of staff.