| Learning Objective #1: Identify factors important in the recruitment, retention, and role preparation of baccalaureate nursing graduates | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Participate in a forum to discuss the implications of research partnerships to address the issue of health, human-resource planning |
A problem shared by most countries today is the acute shortage of qualified nurses. In Canada, the shortage is progressing with an estimated shortfall of 113,00 nurses by 2016, and anticipated difficulty in recruiting sufficient new nurses to meet the need for nursing service by 2010. Hence, it is important to build research partnerships to address the critical issue of the nursing shortage. This paper describes an exploration of the issues of recruitment, retention and role preparation among baccalaureate graduates and offers hope for future nursing recruitment and reduction of the shortage. Objectives: (1) to examine factors related to recruitment, retention, and role preparation within nursing, and (2) to explore attitudes of nurses toward expanding the scope of professional practice. Method: A descriptive correlational design explored the experiences of university prepared nurses. A stratified random sampling procedure, using the graduation lists from a baccalaureate-nursing program for six consecutive years, was used to select 25% of each class, for a total of 54 participants. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using interviews to study a range of variables including career satisfaction, factors influencing career choice, career vs. job orientation, and nurses’ attitudes toward expanded scope of practice, recruitment and retention factors. Findings: Quantitative and qualitative results provided information useful to understanding nursing as a career choice, and sources of job satisfaction across career trajectories. Results suggest participants were well aware of the constraints within the health system, but despite the challenges, they remained committed to their careers. Of special significance was that contrary to expectations presented in the media and literature around deteriorating working conditions, the nurses’ job satisfaction continued to increase the longer they remained in their positions. Conclusions: The findings offer unique insights for building professional partnerships to accelerate efforts in the area of nurse recruitment and retention.
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