Background: Healthcare is a dynamic environment for nurses, with early career nurses (ECNs) needing to adapt and learn while also meeting care demands. Effective support systems, mentorship, and continuous professional development are vital in facilitating their transition while navigating competing demands. The aim of this study is to interpret and understand the meaning of ECNs’ professional experiences four years after completing their bachelor’s degree in Australia. Method: A qualitative descriptive design using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used as part of a longitudinal study. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted among twenty-five ECNs between 2022 and 2024 using purposive sampling to recruit ECNs who had graduated four years ago. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data while adhering to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines. Results: Four themes emerged among participants, which encompassed professional growth and unwavering commitment, ongoing professional adaptability, feeling stuck with limited choices, and continual learning amid career challenges and personal life demands. Conclusions: Change is needed to ensure professional learning becomes a shared responsibility among policy makers and healthcare leaders and to ensure that professional learning leads to more nurses taking up further study, thus increasing the safety and quality of care delivered in the healthcare environment.

Background/Objectives: The nursing profession is experiencing a global shortage of nurses. Early-Career Nurses (ECNs) assist in addressing the shortage; however, a significant number are leaving their workplaces and the profession. The aim of the review is to explore the factors that impact early-career nurses thriving at work, including their motivation and intention to stay in employment and the profession. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. The objectives, analysis, and inclusion and exclusion criteria were informed by PRISMA for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) to ensure accurate and complete reporting of findings. The target population were ECNs who are in the first five years of practice. Databases including CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched to identify the literature on ECN thriving between 1985 and 2025. Titles, abstracts, and full texts of the identified studies were screened by two independent reviewers, and thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the data. Results: A total of 190 studies was initially identified, and after screening and review, a total of 16 articles met the inclusion criteria and explored factors related to thriving and retention. Key themes identified within the literature that contribute to ECNs thriving at work encompass the work environment, work–life balance, and education, where generational differences may also create unique nuances between ECNs. Conclusions: ECNs encounter many challenges in the early stages of their nursing career. Organisational support may be responsive and provide conducive work environments that nurture growth, career development, and thriving for ECNs. However, future research is needed to further confirm drivers of thriving, along with understanding the impact of targeted interventions to better support ECN thriving and retention. Future search will include stakeholders to validate the findings.