Data from New RNs in the Workforce - Emerging Nurse Leader

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

female nurse who is studying for her job

Last week, I attended the American Organization of Nurse Executives conference in Indianapolis. Diane Mancino who is the CEO of the National Student Nurses Association presented nine years of survey data collected from thousands of newly graduated members of NSNA (4-6 months after graduation). These findings provide interesting insight into what is happening with the nursing workforce nationwide from the perspective of new graduates. It is also important to be aware of this data as you begin interviews with new graduates.

Key Data Points

The number of new graduates from both BSN and ADN programs employed 4-6 months after graduation is consistently trending up over the past 6 years with 92% of BSN graduates employed and 84% of ADN graduates employed. These numbers are now strong in every region of the country.
Fewer new graduates report that there are too many new graduates flooding the job market.
57% report working in more than one RN position.
New graduates report a trend to hire RNs in per diem roles without benefits.
The number of new graduates planning to return to school within five years is trending down both for return to BSN programs and graduate programs.
66% of new graduates reported in 2016 that they were able to get the job they wanted but only 27% percent indicate that it is their dream job
43% took their current position so they could then apply for their dream job.
26% in 2017 reported that they will stay in their current job one year or less. 62% will leave by the end of 2 years.
72% borrowed money to attend school – $28, 008 was the average loan debt down slightly from 2015. 33% did not know the loan rate on their student loans.
Entry salaries are trending upward for new graduates.
Students are graduating at younger ages.
Stressors for new graduates included responding to emergency situations, workload, patient acuity, staffing ratios, communicating with physicians and end of life experiences.
71% of new graduates report that their education did prepare them for the work that they do.
Only 23% of new graduates report that they look forward to going to work each day and 22% feel overwhelmed.

Only a few short years ago, many new graduates experienced serious difficulty getting that first position. The tide has clearly changed and new graduates are now being sought to fill vacancies in the nursing workforce. Hospitals that have been historically “flooded” with new graduate applications could see an abrupt change in the number of applications they receive. The upward trend of new graduate hiring has led to less pressure for ADN graduates to return for the BSN immediately, and may result in a slowdown to the achievement of an 80% BSN workforce by 2020. For nurse leaders, the not so good news in the NSNA findings is that RN turnover may continue to increase if new graduates follow through with their desire to seek their “dream jobs”. The data in the NSNA study is also reflected in other studies such as those recently released by AMN Healthcare. It appears that the nursing shortage is quickly building in many regions and these trends warrant our attention.