Qualified registered nurses are needed to provide bedside care to patients, yet there is a known registered nurse shortage in the United States, which has a global impact on the healthcare industry. Contributing to the nursing shortage is turnover, which is partly due to the inadequacies of preparation for role transition of newly qualified registered nurses. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine if there was a relationship between retention and nursing career satisfaction of registered nurses who experience a transition to practice program and those who did not. Duchscher's transition shock theory served as the theoretical basis of this study. The Mariani Nursing Career Satisfaction Scale and the Turnover Intention Scale were completed by 271 registered nurses with 24 months or less of bedside clinical practice. Data collected were analyzed by performing a one-way multivariate analysis of variance. Results revealed there was no statistically significant difference between those who did and those who did not have a transition to practice program on the combined dependent variables of nursing career satisfaction and retention. A positive linear relationship was found between nursing career satisfaction and retention. Retaining satisfied nurses and easing the burden associated with transitioning into practice can impact positive social change. The positive social change can also impact other healthcare professionals, businesses, and consumers who are associated with the newly qualified registered nurse who is transitioning into practice. Results from this study can inspire future researchers to continue to focus on seeking effective methods that will increase nursing career satisfaction and retention of newly qualified registered nurses transitioning into practice.