The effect of a registered nurse mentoring program on job satisfaction and intent to stay in community health systems facilities
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Abstract
Nurse attrition leads to higher costs and difficulty providing quality patient care. Healthcare organizations must implement strategies to retain qualified new registered nurses. The purpose of this study is to compare job satisfaction, intent to stay, and retention rates of new registered nurses hired before and after the implementation of a formal mentoring program at Community Health Systems facilities. This is a replication of Halfer, Graf, and Sullivan’s (2008) study. The study will take place in six Community Health Systems facilities located in six different states across the USA. The sample will include 50 new registered nurses from each facility. Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory (1982) will serve as the study framework. Job satisfaction will be measured by the McCloskey-Mueller Job Satisfaction scale and intent to stay measured by the Occupational Commitment 2000 survey (Blau, 2003) at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months from hire date. Retention rates will be calculated at 1 and 5 years after the last data collection using human resources records from the facilities. T-test data analysis will be used to compare mean group scores and detect significant differences. Findings will validate the use of mentoring programs as a way to improve job satisfaction and retention rates, and highlight areas in need of improvement where job satisfaction is lower.