HJNO Mar/Apr 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  MAR / APR 2025 47 Karen C. Lyon, PhD, MBA, APRN-CNS, NEA Chief Executive Officer Louisiana State Board of Nursing and professional skills that are needed to become a safe, effective, compassionate member of the nursing profession. Ac- credited comprehensive nurse residency programs across the state that will allow for a seamless transition from academia to practice are essential. Nurse mentoring and coaching by seasoned nurses will al- low the new nurse to achieve competency, confidence, and autonomy as an RN. Both newly licensed nurses and sea- soned nurses are demanding a work en- vironment that is supportive and safe and that provides opportunities for skill advancement and professional growth. Innovative strategies such as flex sched- uling and decreased nurse-patient ratios on large units, such as medical-surgical units, must be developed to create an en- vironment where RNs can enhance their skills, feel valued and productive, and grow as leaders. As changes occur in the state’s healthcare system, economy, and nursing workforce, LSBN is committed to continued research to better inform poli- cy makers, schools of nursing, prospec- tive nursing students, and other interested stakeholders. n REFERENCES 1 National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, Health Resources & Services Administration. “Workforce Projections.” Accessed January 2025. https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/ workforce-projections 2 Hofler, L.; Thomas, K. “Transition of New Graduate Nurses to The Workforce: Challenges And Solutions In The Changing Health Care Environment.” North Carolina Medical Journal 77, no. 2 (Mar-Apr 2016): 133-136. DOI: 10.18043/ ncm.77.2.133 3 Louisiana Center for Nursing. “Finding Employment as a Newly Licensed Registered Nurse in Louisiana 2024.” Accessed January 2025. https://www.lsbn.state.la.us/wp-content/ uploads/center-for-nursing/2023-newly- licensed-registered-nurse-report-final-01092024. pdf?v=1738634958.603 licensed nurse. Newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs) face significant challeng- es that impact successful transition into the workforce. Finding employment be- gins either before graduation or sometime soon thereafter for most new graduates. Once employed, they are exposed to a world that may often overwhelm them. It is no secret that new nurses feel stressed and fatigued during the transition from academia to practice. They must learn to manage patients, families, caregivers, and relationships with their healthcare team, as well as their personal lives; and, in some situations, they may be placed in manage- rial or supervisory positions they have not been adequately prepared to handle. If not given the proper support during this very critical time, NLRNs may experience anx- iety, frustration, and burnout, which could lead to attrition. 2 In 2023, the Louisiana State Board of Nurses (LSBN) launched the seventh bi- ennial survey of newly licensed registered nurses in our state, defined as an RN with first-time licensure in the last two years. 3 The survey allows us to monitor employ- ment trends and identify challenges faced by our new RNs. The most significant find- ings include the following: • Thirty-eight percent of the NLRNs were minorities, which is equivalent to the percentage of minorities in the 2022 graduates from Louisiana’s pre- RN nursing programs (2022 LSBN Annual Report). • Ninety percent of the NLRNs com- pleted their education in Louisiana compared to 83% in 2021, an increase of eight percentage points. • In 2023, 54% of the NLRNs reported that they had participated in a nurse residency program compared to 38% in 2019 and 43% in 2021. • Methods used by NLRNs to seek em- ployment included clinical experi- ence at the healthcare facility (36%), previous employment (34%), hos- pital/health facility websites (31%), knowing someone at the healthcare facility (19%), job fair (13%), and refer- ral (8%). • Eighty-seven percent of the NLRNs reported that they were working in their job of choice. • Reasons given for changing positions included uncomfortable work envi- ronment (33%), which included bully- ing, inadequate training, unsafe staff/ patient ratios and lack of support by management/administration; need for better pay/benefits (15%); better opportunities (14%); relocation (7%); travel nursing (4%); and other (19%). Our newest generation of nurses, the Gen Z population, are demanding more work-life balance, value diversity, and so- cial justice and prefer jobs that align with their values and spiritual needs. Our survey demonstrated that young nurses were par- ticularly concerned with increasing work- place violence and have reported burnout at significantly higher rates. Additionally, seasoned nurses over 50 represent about one million nurses and may retire within the next 10 years. We must develop work- place environments that recognize these realities. Newly licensed nurses need an environment that allows them to attain the critical thinking, clinical, communication,