Employment patterns among newly hired hospital staff nurses: Comparison of nursing graduates and experienced nurses

Comparison of newly hired nursing graduates in their first hospital staff nurse positions and newly hired experienced nurses employed in the same hospitals revealed that the two groups were indistinguishable with respect to turnover patterns and rates, job hunting behavior, and job satisfaction levels. Type of basic nursing education did not alter results. Differences between the two groups were in the opposite direction from that expected based on the literature which emphasizes problems associated with role transition among new graduates. These findings imply that the process of job acclimation is fundamentally the same for the two groups. Implications for hospital and nursing administrators are discussed.