Peer support strategies for newly qualified nurses: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Retention of newly qualified nurses is a challenge for health services worldwide. Graduate transition programs tend to provide top-down approaches that enlist senior nurses to mentor and train newly qualified nurses. Although peer support between newly qualified nurses has been shown to improve their experiences, existing studies mainly focus on support provided by senior nurses. Strategies focused on assisting newly qualified nurses to provide peer support to one another are limited. OBJECTIVE: To synthesise studies that have investigated strategies designed to assist newly qualified nurses in providing peer support to one another. DESIGN: A systematic review was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. INFORMATION SOURCES: A comprehensive search was conducted using databases including CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, Web of Science Core Collection and APA PsycInfo to identify relevant journal articles for the review on 4 September 2024. An updated search was conducted on 15 May 2025, which did not yield any new relevant articles. METHODS: All database citations were imported into Covidence, where duplicates were removed. Titles, abstracts and full texts were screened independently by two reviewers, who also assessed each study against the eligibility criteria. Any conflicts between the reviewers were resolved through discussion until a consensus was reached. Studies were assessed and assigned a credibility score using the Joanna-Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. Data were extracted using a pre-developed extraction tool and thematically analysed. Codes were generated and grouped into meaningful themes that reflect the overall study aim. RESULTS: Nine studies were included. These studies identified three key themes: (1) providing mutual support in virtual spaces to assist newly qualified nurses in coping with stress and mitigating feelings of isolation, (2) togetherness in practice, which promotes their emotional connection and overall well-being, and (3) readiness built in pairs to enhance their confidence and readiness for autonomous practice. CONCLUSION: This systematic review highlights the importance of peer support in promoting the well-being, job satisfaction and retention of newly qualified nurses. Integrating structured peer support strategies into graduate transition programs may improve their emotional resilience and retention in the nursing workforce. REGISTRATION: This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO, the international database for registering systematic reviews in health and social care on 7 October 2024 (ID CRD42024594504).