HJNO Jul/Aug 2026

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2026 57 Karen C. Lyon, PhD, MBA, APRN-CNS, NEA Nursing Correspondent • Fifty-five percent of the NLRNs that had not participated in a nurse resi- dency program reported that a nurse residency/transition to practice pro- gram was not offered by their em- ployer. • Twenty-seven percent of the NLRNs reported that they had changed em- ployment settings at least once since their initial position as an RN. • Reasons given for changing positions included uncomfortable work envi- ronment (41%), which included bully- ing, inadequate training, unsafe staff- to-patient ratios, and lack of support by management/administration; bet- ter opportunities (12%); scheduling concerns (12%); need for better pay or benefits (10%); relocation (7%); and commute-related issues (4%). New graduates continue to be the larg- est source of RNs for recruitment. Yet, there are significant concerns among em- ployers and nursing educators about the attrition rate of NLRNs within their insti- tutions. It has been reported that 17% of NLRNs leave their first job within the first year; 31% by the second year; and by four and a half years, the turnover rate is 49%. 4 Within six years of graduation, the rate of turnover among NLRNs is about 55%. 5 LSBN’s new CEO, the LSBN Board of Directors, and the LSBN staff have a strong foundation of expertise and experience in solving challenges facing the nursing profession. In collaboration with their education and practice partners, LSBN will continue to be a nationally recognized regulatory institution providing leadership and expertise to improve the healthcare delivery system on a local, state, and national level. Shawn can be contacted at wolkarts@ lsbn.state.la.us or 225-755-7500. n REFERENCES 1 American Academy of Nursing, “American Academy of Nursing Statement on Artificial Intelligence in Health Care,” March 16, 2026, https://aannet.org/page/AI-position-statement- 2026. 2 Joseph Grenny et al., “Silence Kills 2.0: How Communication Failures Stifle Innovation and Harm Patients,” American Journal of Critical Care 35, no. 3 (2026): 182–190, https://doi.org/10.4037/ ajcc2026203. 3 D. M. Berry et al., “SNAPPI: A Shared Appointee Model that Turns Bedside Expertise into Clinical Faculty Capacity,” NCSBN Leader to Leader, Spring 2026, https://www.ncsbn.org/public-files/ LTL_Spring2026.pdf. 4 C. T. Kovner and C. S. Brewer, “RN Work Project (2006–2016),” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, http://rnworkproject.org/ rnworkproject.org/index.html. 5 Louisiana State Board of Nursing Center for Nursing,“FindingEmploymentasaNewlyLicensed Registered Nurse in Louisiana 2025,” n.d., https:// www.lsbn.state.la.us/wp-content/uploads/ center-for-nursing/2025newlicensedrnsreport. pdf?v=1778779524. nating Board. The first cohort began with student clinicals in fall 2024 continuing through 2025. 3 The Texas Board of Nursing unanimous- ly approved the program as a pilot using qualified BSN-prepared nurses as inde- pendent clinical instructors. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing/Amer- ican Organization for Nursing Leadership Academic Practice Partnership Playbook features the SNAPPI playbook. The model is being used to reduce the use of adjunct faculty and support rural education and new funding for rural solutions to increase clinical faculty. Reducing turnover of new nurses: LSBN’s own 2025 survey of newly licensed nurses (NLRNs) enables the board to en- gage in ongoing monitoring of employ- ment trends, workplace experiences, and transition changes among new graduates and those practicing for less than two years. Some of the more concerning find- ings which have continued to be reported since 2017 include: • Between 2017 and 2025, the proportion of NLRNs with an associate degree increased from 44% to 52%, while the proportion with a baccalaureate degree decreased from 54% to 45%.