Clinical competence, satisfaction, and intent to stay in new nurses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among new nurse characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, education, previous experience, unit of employment), performance based and perceived clinical competence, satisfaction and intent to stay. A secondary focus was to test the dimensionality of the Casey-Fink Survey Part II. The study sample consisted of 265 new nurses at an academic medical center in the southeast. Performance based clinical competence was measured by the Performance Based Development System (PBDS) developed by DelBueno (1990) and perceived clinical competence, satisfaction, and demographics were measured by specific items on the Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey (1999). Two questions on intent to stay were used in the study.;Data revealed a relationship between selected nursing characteristics, clinical competence, satisfaction and intent to stay. New nurses with previous work experience (44%) were more likely to meet criteria on problem management. Those having the most difficulty in patient care were African-American. The study found a relationship between new nurses' perception of clinical competence and a performance based measure of clinical competence. New nurses who had higher support scores also had higher job satisfaction. A strong relationship between support, job satisfaction and intent to stay was found in the study. Associate degree nurses scored higher on job satisfaction and were more likely to express an intent to stay compared to baccalaureate prepared nurses. There was a trend for older nurses to express an intent to stay more frequently than younger nurses.;This study represents a beginning understanding of the relationship between nurse characteristics, perception and performance based clinical competence, job satisfaction and intent to stay. There are important implications for educators, practitioners, and nurse leaders. Educators must prepare nurses to function in an increasingly complex environment and at the same time help students identify their limitations. Practicing nurses must be aware of the critical role their support plays in retaining new nurses. For the profession, retaining new nurses is a shared responsibility for nurses in both education and practice.