Supporting a Sustainable Nursing Pipeline Through Nurse Engagement
With persistent nursing shortages, escalating labor costs, and increasing patient complexity, developing an effective nursing pipeline lies in innovating methods of how nurses engage with their careers (American Hospital Association, 2025). In developing strategies to address long-term nursing workforce challenges, nurse engagement becomes an integral tool in optimizing a healthcare facility's current RN staff.
Supporting career development through educational opportunities enhances an organization’s ability to address causes of high turnover by boosting job satisfaction, clinical competence, and confidence in practice while also fostering a more skilled workforce. By utilizing programs such as RN resident apprenticeships, preceptor/ mentor development opportunities, and specialty RN fellow programs, healthcare facilities can improve retention of RN staff and lay the foundation for nursing workforce sustainability.
Pipeline Strategies
Transition to Practice RN Resident Apprenticeships
Strengthening the pipeline of nurses begins with retaining nurses early in their careers. With staggering turnover rates, the first year of a nurse’s career is a vulnerable time for both clinical practice and a healthcare facility's workforce. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, when examining the average number of years a nurse stays at a job, “more than half of nurses leave their jobs within the first 2 years”. To prevent novice RNs from exiting the profession prematurely, the top causes of these individuals leaving their positions must first be understood and addressed.
Research conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) found the number one cause for leaving nursing employment was “stress and burnout”. Adjusting to the demands of a career in nursing can be a significant learning curve for novice RNs, and if not effectively transitioned into the workforce, can lead to premature burnout. As found by a study published in The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, nursing residency programs designed to transition new grad RNs during their first year in nursing were “a cost-effective investment in nursing workforce strength and care quality”. At the unique early stages in one’s nursing career, transition to practice programs offer a pathway to support novice RNs through mentorship, clinical skill refinement, and confidence building. By transitioning nurses within a supportive framework, healthcare organizations can improve workforce stability while fostering resilience and job satisfaction in nursing staff.
Preceptor/ Mentor Development Opportunities
Well-prepared preceptors/ mentors play a pivotal role in shaping the competence and confidence of nurses early in their career, helping to both enhance the nurse transition to practice experience and improve retention rates. While transition to practice programs enhance clinical skills and confidence in practice, in a study published in Nurse Leader, the mentorship relationship was found to be one of the most influential factors in the success of the orientation of new grad RNs.
In navigating this relationship, structured education opportunities for preceptors/ mentors help them maximize their time with nurse residents. Educating experienced nurses for this type of role boosts their ability to effectively guide and enhance the practice of their learner (American Organization for Nursing Leadership, 2025). Development programs equip preceptors/ mentors with skills in leadership, communication, and feedback delivery to effectively provide guidance on daily clinical practice, self-reflection, and career advancement. When utilized in unison with novice nurse transition programs, education opportunities for those providing guidance contribute to a more resilient and sustainable nursing workforce throughout multiple phases of the pipeline.
Specialty RN Fellow Programs
Nursing specialties play a critical role in strengthening the nursing workforce through their opportunities in advancing the career engagement of nurses beyond their first year while improving the quality of care provided by a facility’s workforce. In pursuing specialty areas, nurses can confidently validate their practice area knowledge by strengthening their clinical judgement and confidence in decision-making. In addition, by offering continuing education opportunities in specialty areas, healthcare facilities can increase retention rates through enhanced job satisfaction across career stages (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, n.d.).
With structured specialty RN fellow programs, experienced nurses gain the tools needed to advance their clinical practice confidently while being encouraged on the path to specialty certification. When strategically developed, specialty RN fellow programs can function as a stabilizing force within the workforce pipeline to both create a long-term retention strategy and amplify the clinical skill level of nursing staff.
Nurturing a robust nursing workforce begins with optimizing the practice of a healthcare organization’s current nursing staff. The pipeline begins with the transition to practice experience of first-year RNs. RN resident programs build the confidence and competence of novice nurses during their transition to practice to reduce early-career turnover and accelerate clinical readiness. An integral element of the success of these programs is the role of preceptors/ mentors in adjusting to the demands of their new role. To optimize the time preceptors/ mentors spend with novice RNs, development programs equip seasoned nurses with the education needed to effectively collaborate and provide feedback. In addition, specialty RN fellow programs aid experienced RNs in honing their area of practice to both retain experienced staff and advance the skill level of a facility’s workforce. When employed strategically, these education opportunities help to stabilize the nursing workforce pipeline while strengthening the clinical practice of nurses across experience levels.
References
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. (n.d.). Certification benefits patients, employers and nurses. https://www.aacn.org/certification/value-of-certification-resource-center/nurse-certification-benefits-patients-employers-and-nurses
American Hospital Association. (2025). Health care workforce: A system under pressure, poised for reinvention. https://www.aha.org/aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2025-12-09-health-care-workforce-system-under-pressure-poised-reinvention
American Organization for Nursing Leadership. (2025). Structured programs help preceptors mentor effectively. https://www.aonl.org/news/Structured-programs-help-preceptors-mentor-effectively
Hoover, M. Lucy, I. Mahoney, K. (2024, January 9). Data deep dive: A national nursing crisis. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/nursing-workforce-data-center-a-national-nursing-crisis
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2024). U.S. nursing workforce by the numbers. https://www.ncsbn.org/public-files/2024-NCSBN-WorkforceSurvey-Infographic.pdf
Slabbekoorn, F. M., Gent, G. L., Pathak, D., Cerniglia, S. T., & Iseler, J. I. (2025). Nurturing novice nurses: Effect of a nurse residency program on nursing retention. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 56(11), 484–492. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20250911-02
Varghese, L. Shkrabak, S. (2025, February). Seamless transition: Strategies for effective new nurse orientation and practice integration. Nurse Leader, 23(1), 58-61. https://www.nurseleader.com/article/S1541-4612%2824%2900248-9/fulltext
To Cite This Article
Carden, I. (2026, January 26). Supporting a sustainable nursing pipeline through nurse engagement. TruMont.
