Early career nurses and moral distress: An integrative review.

Aim: The purpose of this integrative review was to evaluate and synthesize literature published in peer-reviewed journals within the past 40 years addressing moral distress in early career nurses (graduation to five years of experience).

Background: Moral distress experienced in nursing education and practice manifests physically and psychologically, leads to workforce burnout and attrition, and compounds the nursing shortage. The transition to practice period is a vulnerable time for student nurses emerging into professional practice.