I talk to a lot of organizations across the country that are focused on nursing retention, not just for newly graduated nurses, but also for those with years of experience. Many are eager to implement something like a nurse residency program, hoping it will be the key to solving their retention challenges. And while nurse residency programs are incredibly effective at equipping new nurses with the skills, confidence, and support they need to succeed in their first year, they aren’t a magic bullet. As we’ve discussed time and again on this blog and in our podcast, nurse residency is an evidence-based strategy that absolutely moves the needle, but retention goes far beyond what happens in nurse residency. It is the entire transition to practice experience. If the practice environment doesn’t mirror the classroom, you will continue to fight an uphill battle.

Retention, what everyone is striving for, is enabled through engagement or being physically, cognitively, and emotionally invested in one’s work. To cultivate engagement, there are multiple core components that must be present. I recently co-authored an article outlining my Organizational Framework for Nurse Engagement, which identifies the key components organizations must leverage to build engagement and, ultimately, retention. One of those components, and our focus this month, is belonging.

Belonging is defined as being connected to a community with trust, value, and acceptance (Patel et al., 2024). It’s about feeling part of a team through social bonds and a nurturing environment. Nurse residency programs can help new graduates begin to build that sense of belonging, but it won’t stick unless those same feelings are also cultivated outside the program. That’s exactly what we’re exploring in this month’s episode of the Beyond Nurse Residency Podcast. Guests Jillian Russell, Jenn Bodine, and Rachel Kelter dive into belonging and inclusion, what it is, why it matters, barriers and blind spots, and how we can do better.

Our guests highlighted two simple but powerful strategies for cultivating belonging: normalizing vulnerability and creating psychological safety. These skills often go hand-in-hand because psychological safety creates the conditions where people feel safe enough to be vulnerable. Psychological safety is the belief that you can speak up, ask questions, share ideas, or admit mistakes without fear of embarrassment, punishment, or rejection. Vulnerability is showing up as your authentic self. When team members, especially leaders, role model vulnerability by being open, honest, and human, it strengthens psychological safety, telling everyone else it's okay to do it too.  

Vulnerability might look like:

• Admitting you don’t have all the answers
• Sharing a personal story to build connection
• Owning a mistake and modeling accountability

The effect of using vulnerability to strengthen psychological safety looks like:

• A new grad asking for help without worrying they’ll be judged
• A seasoned nurse raising a concern about a process or patient care without fear of retaliation
• A team member sharing a new idea, even if it’s unconventional, knowing it will be considered respectfully 

Belonging is also cultivated by embracing differences, valuing individuals for their unique skills and qualities, and inviting them to the table through shared governance and other inclusive practices.  

These simple yet effective practices allow leaders to foster environments where nurses feel seen, heard, and valued. Like they belong. When nurses feel that sense of belonging, they engage in their work beyond the bedside. And engaged nurses stay. This month, I encourage you to reflect on what you are doing to build belonging in your own organization, inside and outside of your nurse residency program.  

Nicole Weathers, DNP, RN, NPD-BC 
Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program Director 
nicole-weathers@uiowa.edu
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Patel, S. E., Varghese, J., & Hamm, K. (2024). Defining sense of belonging in nursing - An evolutionary concept analysis. Journal of Professional Nursing, 54, 151–163. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.07.003