title: Full-time work for nurses: employers' perspectives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine an employer response to a government employment policy, the Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG), over a 2-year period (2008-2009 and 2009-2010).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Healthcare organizations rely on a stable supply of nurses to meet their staffing needs. However, employment trends have indicated a propensity for part-time employment. The NGG was created to stimulate full-time employment of new graduate nurses in Ontario, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mixed methods design was used, which included online surveys and focus groups. All healthcare providers (n = 1198) were surveyed in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. Each year, a sample of NGG employers participated in sector-specific focus groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 20% of potential healthcare employers participated in the NGG. Reasons for non-participation included lack of awareness of the initiative and lack of full-time jobs. Barriers to offering full-time employment to new graduates included lack of full-time vacancies and budget constraints.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Employers perceive flexible staffing practices as a way to contain personnel costs but often at the expense of a stable full-time nursing workforce.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research contributes to an understanding of employers' perspectives on full-time hiring and participation in a government employment policy.
authors: International Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Nursing Health Services Research Unit, McMaster University site, Hamilton, ON, Canada. baumanna@mcmaster.ca
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Baumann
authors: Mabel
authors: M
authors: Hunsberger
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Crea-Arsenio
mesh_terms: D004651:Employment / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D009864:Ontario; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D013219:State Government