Aim <p>To investigate the relationship between professional identity and turnover intention for new nurses in China, and explore the mediating role of psychological capital and achievement motivation in these two variables.</p> Background <p>As the main backup force in nursing career development, new nurses face challenges due to the conflict between theory and practice, a lack of skills, and the heavy demands of nursing work. As a result, the majority of new nurses have higher turnover intention. Reducing the turnover intention of new nurses is very important to reduce the shortage of nurses, stabilize the hospital talent team, and improve the nursing quality.</p> Methods <p>A Cross-sectional survey was used to investigate 562 nurses in 6 hospitals in Henan Province from February to March 2024. Pearson correlation analysis, descriptive statistics and structural equation model were used to analyze the existing data.</p> Results <p>There was a significant relationship between the professional identity, psychological capital, achievement motivation, and turnover intention of new nurses. Psychological capital and achievement motivation played a chain mediating role in the effect of professional identity on the turnover intention of new nurses.</p> Conclusion <p>The results can be used as a reference for formulating relevant hospital management policies and reducing the turnover intention of new nurses, which is of great significance for reducing the shortage of nurses and stabilizing the talent team of hospitals.</p>