Nurses are increasingly needed in primary healthcare settings to support community-based healthcare delivery. Programs to facilitate transition of new graduate nurses are well established in acute care; however, there are few similar programs reported in settings like general practice. This paper sought to explore the experiences of new graduate registered nurses and their registered nurse mentors in a new graduate program within Australian general practice. New graduates (n = 9) and their mentors participated in interviews before, during and at the conclusion of a 12-month new graduate program. Interviews were digitally audio-recorded and professionally transcribed verbatim before being analysed using thematic analysis. Eighteen new graduate and 10 mentor interviews were conducted, revealing four themes. Preparation and Opportunities describes the influence that pre-registration education had on preparing nurses for general practice employment. Exceeding Expectations highlights the positive experiences within the program. Program Challenges draws attention to the difficulties experienced by participants, and Future Career Intentions explores future career plans. This study highlights that a general practice new graduate nurse program has the potential to build the workforce. However, strengthening undergraduate preparation of nurses around primary health care and addressing funding issues in general practice, are important to promote the success of such programs.

Aim: To explore the job satisfaction and turnover intentions of general practice nurses and examine factors that influence job satisfaction and turnover intention.Background: Workforce issues such as satisfaction, retention and turnover intention have been explored in acute care. However, increasingly nurses are being employed outside hospitals. General practice is a significantly different work environment to acute care. Understanding workforce issues in community settings is important for employers, managers and policymakers to sustain and grow this workforce to meet consumer demands.Method: A descriptive survey was conducted within a single Primary Health Network in Australia. Results:Having an identified practice nurse leader/manager, feeling that their training and qualifications are used to the full and not feeling isolated, alone or lacking opportunities for mentoring were all significantly correlated with higher job satisfaction. The lowest average satisfaction scores related to pay. 44.9% of participants were unsure whether they would remain working in general practice. The relationship between total job satisfaction and intention to leave was significant. Conclusion:These findings guide managers in developing strategies to recruit and retain nurses in general practice employment. Implications for Nursing Management:Managers must consider factors influencing job satisfaction and turnover intention to maximize recruitment and retention of nurses.