Aim/Objective: This study aimed to examine how a buddy-supported onboarding program affected early-career nurses in medical-surgical units, focusing on their integration, perceived support, sense of belonging, confidence, competence, and turnover intention. Background: Early-career nurses often face significant obstacles when they enter clinical practice, including stress, low self-esteem, and a lack of professional support. These difficulties can increase job dissatisfaction and turnover intention, particularly in demanding settings such as medical-surgical units. Many healthcare organizations have adopted buddy-supported onboarding programs to help new nurses integrate, develop professionally, and stay in their roles. Design: The study used a qualitative phenomenological design. Method: The researcher recruited seven registered nurses with fewer than three years of clinical experience in medical-surgical units at King Abdulaziz National Guard Hospital in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, using purposive sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured, in-person interviews and analyzed thematically using Braun and Clarke’s approach. Results: The analysis produced six themes: structured onboarding supports early adjustment; buddy support acts as an emotional and practical anchor; a sense of belonging develops gradually and depends on team dynamics; psychological safety strengthens learning and confidence; inconsistent support hinders confidence development; and interpersonal and family-related factors shape turnover intention. Conclusions: Buddy-supported onboarding programs can build early-career nurses’ confidence, strengthen their professional integration, and ease their early adjustment. To support nurses’ transition and improve workforce retention, healthcare organizations should reinforce structured onboarding frameworks and ensure consistent coaching.

Background: Early mobilization (EM) is an evidence-based approach that promotes physical activity in critically ill patients in intensive care units, though its implementation remains challenging. Aims: To examine the perceived barriers to EM and assess differences according to clinical role, unit type, and years of experience among healthcare providers in critical care units. Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional, survey-based design was used. Using convenience sampling, 376 healthcare providers were recruited from critical care units across Saudi Arabia. Data were collected via the validated Patient Mobilization Attitudes and Beliefs Survey for Intensive Care Unit (PMABS-ICU). Descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for analysis. Results: Participants were 39.1% male and 60% female. Respiratory therapists reported the highest overall perceived barriers (M = 40.4, SD = 7.4), followed by nurses (M = 38.5, SD = 9.3), physicians (M = 36.1, SD = 8.1), and physical/occupational therapists (M = 33.7, SD = 8.1); (p = 0.001). Attitude-related barriers had the highest mean score (M = 39.6, SD = 11.7), followed by knowledge (M = 37.7, SD = 16.8) and behavior (M = 37.3, SD = 9.5). Significant associations were observed between barriers and clinical role (p = 0.001), unit type (p < 0.001), and years of experience (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Findings highlight that attitude-related barriers were the highest among healthcare providers. Therefore, targeted training programs are essential to strengthen healthcare providers' confidence and competence in implementing safe mobilization practices for critically ill patients.