HJBR Jul/Aug 2022

44 JUL / AUG 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE NURSING COLUMN NURSING Executive Summary Newly licensed registered nurses (NL- RNs) face significant challenges that im- pact successful transition into the work- force. Finding employment begins 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 pa- tients, families, caregivers, relationships with their healthcare team, as well as their personal lives. If not given the proper sup- port during this very critical time, NLRNs may experience anxiety, frustration, and burnout, which could lead to attrition. 1 The 2021 Louisiana Center for Nurs- ing (LCN) NLRN Survey represents the sixth biennial survey of NLRNs conduct- ed by LCN and the first information we NEWLY LICENSED REGISTERED NURSE REPORT: HowNewNurses Weathered the COVID Pandemic have from nurses educated and graduat- ing during the peak of the pandemic. The target population were graduates from pre-RN licensure nursing programs that successfully passed the National Coun- cil Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and received their initial RN license. Conducting the LCN NLRN Survey every two years allows for monitoring of employment trends and challenges reported by NLRNs in Louisi- ana, which will equip employers of NLRNs and nurse educators with information that can be used to help create a seamless tran- sition from academia to practice. Key Findings from the 2021 LCN NLRN Survey A total of 594 NLRNs completed the 2021 LCN NLRN Survey yielding a 12.7% response rate, which is 3.6 percentage points lower than the 16.3% response rate obtained with the 2019 LCN NLRN Survey. Because of the low response rate, it should not be assumed that the entire target population of NLRNs in Louisiana would respond in a similar fashion. It is also im- portant to note that findings from this study are in line with similar studies that have been conducted across the country. 2,3 Education and Transition to Practice for NLRNs • Ninety-eight percent (98%) of the NLRNs were employed at the time they completed the survey. • Eighty-three percent (83%) of the NLRNs completed their education in Louisiana compared to 89% in 2019, a decrease of six percentage points. • Fifty-two percent (52%) of the NL- RNs were prepared at the associate degree level, which was a shift from 2015 when over half of the NLRNs were prepared at the baccalaureate level.