Many hospitals have credited nurse residency programs with driving improvements in retention rates over the past several years. Yet turnover among early-career nurses remains stubbornly high, with more than 22% of newly hired registered nurses leaving their jobs within the first year, according to recent national data.
Healthcare leaders are increasingly recognizing that while residency programs provide crucial initial support, nurses need continued mentorship and career development guidance well beyond that first year.
MaineHealth is addressing this gap head-on. The Portland, Maine-based system recently created a dedicated nurse career navigator position to provide ongoing support for clinical career development and help retain nursing talent across its network of 10 hospitals.
Jessica Hannebury, who serves as MaineHealth’s career nurse navigator, has met one-on-one with 75 nurses since the program launched about a year ago, helping seven successfully transition to different positions — nurses who may otherwise have left the organization entirely.
Beyond formal meetings, she’s had 280 total touchpoints with nurses on topics ranging from residency visits, resume reviews and career planning conversations.
The role emerged from MaineHealth’s previous success using career navigation in other departments, including environmental services. A donor provided philanthropic support to fund the three-year position, which the system anticipates making permanent.
Joe Baty, manager of workforce development at MaineHealth, explained that the team initially assumed they needed someone with extensive nursing experience for the position.
“When we were going through the hiring process, we had assumed at the start of the search that we needed somebody with a nursing background, but as we went through it, we realized that the soft skills were far more important for this role than the technical knowledge of nursing,” Mr. Baty said, noting that abilities like active listening and relationship building have proven more critical than clinical expertise.
Ms. Hannebury focuses significant attention on nurses in their first two years, when turnover risk is highest, but the program is available to nearly all of MaineHealth’s more than 4,000 nurses. She regularly attends residency program sessions to introduce herself early in nurses’ careers, creating a foundation for future conversations about career goals and challenges.
The support Ms. Hannebury provides is highly personalized. “Sometimes they just want to have a safe space to share their goals and interests, whether that’s stepping into a leadership role or maybe there’s a NICU role in Portland and they just don’t know what they need to get there,” she said.
Building trust is central to the program’s success, leaders said. Ms. Hannebury positions herself as a confidential resource separate from managers and HR staff, allowing nurses to explore options without fear that expressing dissatisfaction will jeopardize their current roles.
Her presence during residency sessions helps establish that trust early on. By participating in conversations where new nurses are already discussing what’s going well and what challenges they’re facing, she becomes a familiar face before nurses even need her support.
“Just being part of the conversations they’re already having is really helpful and has allowed them to then follow up and ask for those one-on-one meetings with me,” she explained.
The program measures success not just by preventing departures, but by keeping nurses within the MaineHealth system. “We want to keep them within MaineHealth. That’s always a win for us. So, yes they might leave that position, but if they stay within the system we consider that a win,” she said.
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. According to Melissa McManus, director of workforce development at MaineHealth, surveys sent to participating nurses consistently show top ratings.
“The feedback is always basically five out of five every time on all of the questions. They report that she creates a safe space for nurses to talk and work through solutions,” Ms. McManus said.
Ms. Hannebury’s work has also surfaced broader organizational needs. After hearing repeated concerns from new nurses struggling with night shift work, she partnered with MaineHealth’s wellness director to establish a night shift committee exploring mentorship opportunities and additional support resources.
The career navigator’s insights are now informing system-level strategy. Ms. Hannebury participates in senior team workgroups focused on critical nursing issues, bringing front-line perspectives that busy nurse leaders may not always capture.
For other healthcare organizations considering similar roles, MaineHealth leaders stress that the right personality fit is critical.
“It needs to be someone who is solution oriented,” Ms. McManus said.
Ms. Hannebury believes the need for extended support reflects broader shifts in nursing.
“Newer nurses really need more than just a one-year program. They need continued guidance and support and my role is part of that, but there’s still more that needs to be done.”
