AbstractPurposeThis study examines the factors that increase new graduate nurses’ professional commitment and how this professional commitment in turn affects professional turnover intentions, anxiety, and physical health symptoms.DesignThe study was carried out in association with the nursing undergraduate's affiliation of Quebec, Canada. A three‐wave longitudinal design was employed among nursing students. Nurses were surveyed before they entered the labor market, and then twice after they started working.MethodsParticipants were contacted by post at their home address. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.Findings and ConclusionProfessional commitment explains why good work characteristics and the provision of organizational resources related to patient care reduce nurses’ anxiety and physical symptoms, and increase their professional turnover intentions. Pre‐entry professional perceptions moderate the effects of work characteristics on professional commitment such that when participants hold positive pre‐entry perceptions about the profession, the propensity to develop professional commitment is higher.Clinical RelevanceThere is a worldwide shortage of nurses. From a nurse training perspective, it is important to create realistic perceptions of the nursing role. In hospitals, providing a good work environment and resources conducive to their professional ethos is critical for ensuring nurses do not leave the profession early on in their careers.