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An Evidence-Based Protocol for Nurse Retention

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Registered nurse turnover can drastically affect the quality of patient care while costing more than 1 billion dollars. The ongoing nursing shortage makes it hard to replace nurses, necessitating a novel approach to reduce nurse turnover. The authors discuss an evidence-based protocol that improves organizational commitment among nurses as a way to retain nurses through facilitating autonomy, improving communication, and offering recognition and rewards to nursing staff.
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JONA
Volume 38, Number 10, pp 441-447
Copyright B2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
THE JOURNAL OF NURSING ADMINISTRATION
An Evidence-Based Protocol
for Nurse Retention
Ericka Gess, MS, RN, PCCN
Milisa Manojlovich, PhD, RN, CCRN
Sharon Warner, BSN, RN
Registered nurse turnover can drastically affect the
quality of patient care while costing more than 1
billion dollars. The ongoing nursing shortage
makes it hard to replace nurses, necessitating a
novel approach to reduce nurse turnover. The
authors discuss an evidence-based protocol that
improves organizational commitment among
nurses as a way to retain nurses through facilitating
autonomy, improving communication, and offering
recognition and rewards to nursing staff.
Nursing turnover is a dysfunctional human re-
source issue when an institution loses nursing staff
whom it would rather retain. Nursing turnover has
negative consequences when it occurs at high rates,
resulting in diminished continuity of care, de-
creased productivity, and increased risk for patients
and nurses.
1
The ongoing nursing shortage is a
magnifying issue for nursing turnover because,
although the shortage is not necessarily the root
cause of people leaving the profession, it does make
replacing those nurses increasingly difficult, thus
worsening both situations. High rates of staff nurse
turnover are detrimental not only to nurses and
healthcare economies but also to the safety and
well-being of patients.
Nationwide, the average registered nurse turn-
over rate is estimated to be approximately 15% to
36% per year.
2
Current literature estimates eco-
nomic costs of nursing turnover to be 4 to 5 times
higher than what hospitals typically calculate. There
are hidden, indirect costs that account for 79% of
losses including a 4% loss during predeparture, a
15% loss while the position is vacant, and an 81%
loss while the new hire reaches a productive level.
1,3
Others claim that in addition to the decreased
productivity of a new employee, indirect costs also
include the cumulative effects of turnover, such as a
decrease in staff morale and group productivity.
4,5
Guidelines for calculating turnover costs are avail-
able in the literature.
6
High costs of turnover can be
crippling in a healthcare industry where the cost of
care is skyrocketing and insurance company reim-
bursement rates are dropping.
As nurse leaders, we are accountable for
ensuring that appropriate levels of competent staff
are available to provide safe and quality patient
care. To reach this goal, nurse leaders, human
resource, and other administrators have long
worked together to retain nurses. Although re-
search evidence exists to demonstrate the delete-
rious effects of nursing turnover and the value of
nurse retention, there is little guidance in the
literature on how to apply the research evidence
in a clinical setting. This article seeks to provide an
evidence-based protocol comprised of a compila-
tion of current evidence-based strategies for nurse
retention that nurse leaders can tailor to their own
needs and use within any healthcare setting. The 3
authors developed this protocol based on personal
and professional interest in finding ways to reduce
nurse turnover.
Focusing interventions on nurse retention can
be viewed as a cost-effective way to address the
high rates of nursing turnover, as this is an area
JONA Vol. 38, No. 10 October 2008 441
Authors’ Affiliations: House Supervisor (Ms Gess), Univer-
sity of Michigan Health System, and Staff Nurse, Telemetry
Unit, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Michigan;
Assistant Professor (Dr Manojlovich), University of Michigan
School of Nursing, Ann Arbor; and Staff Nurse (Ms Warner),
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta,
Egleston Hospital, Georgia.
Corresponding author: Ms Gess, University of Michigan
Health System, C108 Med Inn 1500 E Medical Center Dr, SPC
5804 Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (egess@med.umich.edu).
Copyright @ 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
where implementation of evidence-based strategies
can generate immediate results. The protocol
described within this article was derived from
interventions identified within current published
research. The authors chose nurse leaders as the
focus group to target for this protocol, as current
and previous research on nurse leaders and
employee relationships has identified a positive
correlation between nurse leaders’ behaviors and
employee satisfaction and retention.
7,8
Much of the research on organizational com-
mitment and nursing turnover occurred during the
1970s and 1980s, with further clarification and
expansion of the associated constructs occurring
throughout recent years.
8
Organizational commit-
ment has received most of its attention in research
because of its consistent relationship to turnover.
8
Organizational commitment may be seen as part
of a larger cluster of constructs describing the
individual-organizational relationship and includes
organizational identification, job loyalty, job
attachment, and job involvement.
9
Previous re-
search findings on organizational commitment
have identified positive correlations between ante-
cedents of organizational commitment (ie, autonomy,
recognition, and communication) and nurse reten-
tion.
8,9
Therefore, this protocol for nurse retention
focuses on development of these 3 areas: autonomy,
recognition, and communication to increase organi-
zational commitment.
We used a 3-component definition of organiza-
tional commitment because this core definition has
essentially remained the same over time.
8,10,11
We
define organizational commitment as consisting of
identification with the goals and values of the
organization, a willingness to focus strong effort
toward helping the organization achieve its goals,
and a strong desire to maintain membership in the
organization.
11,12
By increasing organizational
commitment, our goal is to foster the development
of a workforce committed to organizational goals
and mission, decrease nurse turnover, increase staff
morale, and increase productivity.
Description of Protocol and
Evaluation Tools
The recommendations in this retention protocol
are based solely on an extensive review of the
literature. Interventions addressed in the protocol
focus on autonomy, recognition, and communica-
tion. These variables were selected because they
positively influence job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, and retention.
8,9,13
Most of the
literature on nurse retention focuses on the con-
tributing factors but has offered few tested solu-
tions to address the problem of nursing turnover.
The interventions within this protocol were identi-
fied as potential solutions to the identified prob-
lem, but to our knowledge, the efficacy of these
interventions has not yet been tested. Therefore, we
also provide evaluation tools to be used in con-
junction with the protocol, which will measure the
effectiveness of these interventions in increasing
nurse retention.
Accurate measurement of turnover is impor-
tant for effective turnover management and evalu-
ation. To calculate the rate of turnover within an
organization, raw data from employees’ person-
nel records should be obtained. Duxbury and
Armstrong,
14
Hoffman,
15
and Price
16
developed
turnover indicators that have been validated. These
instruments were combined to create the Nursing
Turnover Measurement Form. This evidence-based
retention protocol is designed to help nurse man-
agers measure turnover in an easy and consistent
manner over time (Table 1). The self-reported
Anticipated Turnover Scale developed by Hinshaw
and Atwood
17
is a validated tool that is also
helpful for managers in understanding staff nurses’
perceptions and intentions to quit. Items on the
Nursing Turnover Measurement Form are shown
in Table 2.
These tools should be used in conjunction
with the strategies to increase autonomy, recog-
nition, and communication. These tools will
assist in identifying areas of weakness within
organizations where increasing organizational
commitment by focusing on these areas could
be beneficial to decreasing staff turnover. These
tools, when used together, will create a protocol
for nurse leaders to be able to easily implement
and then measure the outcomes. Preintervention
and postintervention data should be collected to
assess the effectiveness of the protocol and
whether there was any impact on staff turnover
with its initiation. For staff members who
choose to leave, exit interviews should also be
conducted, as they are an invaluable source of
information regarding areas of improvement
within organizations.
Protocol Implementation
The first step toward implementing the evidence-
based protocol requires the nurse leaders who will
be using it to conduct an assessment of their
organization to identify what is currently being
done to increase staff autonomy, recognition, and
communication. Items on this assessment are
442 JONA Vol. 38, No. 10 October 2008
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shown in Figure 1. A baseline assessment using the
evaluation tools should then be done to determine
what is working well and what could be done
differently. Once this is done, nurse leaders should
then examine the strategies discussed below and
set forth in the evidence-based protocol for increas-
ing autonomy, recognition, and communication
to identify which would be good tools for them
to implement to fill the identified needs. This
would then allow for maximum utilization of the
organization’s resources and reduce redundancy in
repeating activities that are already in place or have
been found to be ineffective. The evaluation tools
should then be used to measure the effectiveness
of interventions by being conducted at 6-month
intervals during the first year for new hires and
then during the annual performance review
process for the duration of their time with the
organization.
Autonomy
As nurses encompass the largest segment of health-
care workers today, empowering them and creating
a practice environment where they are able to
make decisions and be supported in their actions
are very important. Autonomy is a job character-
istic that has been identified in the literature as
being a fundamental component of both job
satisfaction and organizational commitment for
many nurses
13,17,33
and also significantly related to
turnover.
18-20
In general, autonomous and satisfied
Table 1. Evidence-Based Retention Protocol
Organizational
Commitment
Components Retention Goals Strategies to Achieve Goals
Autonomy Encourage staff members to seek
learning experiences both within
the organization and on their own
Provide time during monthly staff meetings for educational
in-services by staff members
Dedicate a resource binder to staff in-services to ensure they
are available to all staff members at any time
Provide a bulletin board in the staff break room where staff
members can post an educational material that they
have developed or obtained from internal or external
learning opportunities that could provide support for
evidence-based practice
Encourage staff members to share information gained from
their experiences in organizationwide conferences or
related skill competency activities
Encourage and support creative
freedom in practice Include staff on committees where patient care policies and
critical care pathways are developed
Be open to changes in current practice and fostering a culture
where this is encouraged and promoted
Give incentives for and then implement nursing suggestions
for better patient care
Support and develop a participative
management structure with shared
governance
Empower staff nurses to use their clinical knowledge and
expertise to develop, direct, and sustain their own
professional practice through participating n decision
making within the organization
Recognition/
rewards
Acknowledge a job well done Start an e-mail Bkudos line[
Arrange a night out for staff
Use media within the organization to publish thank you’s
and acknowledgements
Provide positive feedback Charter a celebration team
Let staff members know through an e-mail or hand-written
note about their positive accomplishments
Place a spotlight in the internal newsletter on recognizing
employees who are Bcaught[doing something right
Communication Listen to what nurses are saying
about patient care Provide time during staff meetings for employees to discuss
their concerns
Maintain an open door policy with staff
Be visible on the units and rounding frequently with
staff members
Implement shared governance
models and increase collaborative
communication
Encourage nurses to network with colleagues and
collaborate among other units and departments
Dedicate key positions on committees where patient care
policies and procedures are decided by staff nurses
where effective communication is essential.
JONA Vol. 38, No. 10 October 2008 443
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nurses are likely to retain their jobs. Moreover,
autonomy is reported to be the most important
factor that increase nurses’ productivity and
improves the quality of nursing care.
20
The following strategies to develop and pro-
mote autonomy in practice are based on the
literature. One strategy to enhance autonomy in
practice is for management to encourage staff
members to seek learning experiences both within
the organization and on their own.
18,20
By encour-
aging and supporting staff in this way, nurse
leaders recognize the value of further staff develop-
ment and education. Nurse leaders should also
provide opportunities for staff members to share
information that they obtain through these experi-
ences with other members of the organization and
be open to implementing changes in current
practice based on the evidence obtained through
these learning experiences. Some examples of this
are providing time during monthly staff meetings
for educational in-services by staff members and
dedicating a resource binder to staff in-services to
ensure that they are available to all staff members
at any time, providing a bulletin board in the staff
break room where staff members can post an
educational material that they have developed or
obtained from internal or external learning oppor-
tunities that could provide support for evidence-
based practice, or encouraging staff members to
share information gained from their experiences in
Table 2. Items on the Nursing Turnover Measurement Form
Indicator Definition Formula Calculation Rate
Accession
rate
Percent of new nurses who stayed during a
specified period of time
(No. of new nurses hired/average no.
of staff nurses employed) 100
Separation
rate
Percent of nurses who left at a specified
period of time
(No. of nurses who quit/average no. of
staff nurses employed) 100
Stability
rate
Percent of nurses employed at the beginning
of the period and who still stayed at the
end of the period of time
(No. of nurses at the beginning who
remained/total number of nurses at
the beginning) 100
Instability
rate
Percent of nurses employed at the beginning
of the period but who left at the end of the
period of time
(No. of nurses at the beginning who
quit/total no. of nurses at the
beginning) 100
Survival
rate
Percent of newly hired nurses who stayed
during a specified time of year
(No. of new nurses remained/total no.
of new nurses) 100
Wastage
rate
Percent of newly hired nurses who left during
a specified period of time
(No. of new nurses who quit/total no.
of new nurses) 100
Figure 1. Anticipated turnover scale.
444 JONA Vol. 38, No. 10 October 2008
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organizationwide conferences or related skill com-
petency activities.
Nurse leaders should also do more to en-
courage and support creative freedom in prac-
tice.
13,20,21
Instead of focusing on maintaining the
status quo, management should support staff
members in developing new and innovative ways
of providing care.
22
By allowing employees to
develop methods of providing care based on evi-
dence and their own unique knowledge base and
experiences, staff members will be more empowered
and able to function independently. Examples of this
would be staff inclusion on committees where
patient care policies and critical care pathways are
developed, managers and hospital leaders being
open to changes in current practice and fostering a
culture where this is encouraged and promoted, and
giving incentives and then implementing nursing
suggestions for better patient care.
Another strategy to enhance autonomy in
practice is through the support and development
of a participative management structure with
shared governance.
13,20,23
Nursing shared gover-
nance is a managerial innovation that legitimizes
nurses’ control over practice while extending their
influence into administrative areas that were pre-
viously controlled only by managers.
24,25
Some
examples of a participative management structure
with shared governance are empowering staff
nurses to use their clinical knowledge and expertise
to develop, direct, and sustain their own profes-
sional practice; encouraging nurses to network
with colleagues and collaborate among other units
and departments; and dedicating key positions on
committees where patient care policies and proce-
dures are decided by staff nurses.
25,26
Recognition
Recognition of the value and meaningfulness of
one’s contribution to an organization’s work is a
fundamental human need and an essential requisite
to personal and professional development. People
who are not recognized feel invisible, underval-
ued, unmotivated, and disrespected. Most nurses
are dissatisfied with the recognition they receive
from their employer.
27
This lack of recognition
leads to discontent, poor morale, reduced produc-
tivity, and suboptimal care outcomes. Inadequate
recognition is cited as a primary reason for turn-
over among employees and is linked to decreasing
nurse satisfaction.
27-29
Recognition can be embodied in many forms,
both tangible (ie, monetary rewards or medals) and
intangible (ie, verbal praise or acknowledgement).
Effective reward and recognition programs are
vital to retaining well-qualified hospital employees,
actively engaging them in satisfying patients,
managing scare resources, and improving the
organization’s performance.
29
Recognition is an
oftentimes overlooked way of showing apprecia-
tion and commitment within an organization. The
following strategies can be implemented to recog-
nize the staff members’ work and accomplishments
in a healthcare organization.
One strategy to further recognition within an
organization is nursing leaders doing more to
acknowledge a job well done.
28-30
By providing
acknowledgement of positive staff work and
accomplishments, nursing leaders will be fostering
a positive practice environment where staff mem-
bers feel valued and appreciated. This will also
lend toward achieving the positive outcomes of
decreased turnover and increased organizational
commitment. Some examples of staff recogni-
tion from nursing supervisors and managers are
starting an e-mail Bkudos line,[arranging a
night out for the staff, and using internal media
within the organization to publish thank you’s
and acknowledgments.
Another strategy in staff recognition is
providing positive feedback.
22,30,34
By providing
positive feedback, management is focusing on
what was done right and celebrating these posi-
tive accomplishments. This helps create a culture
that is not punitive but is focused on celebrating
the positive outcomes. Some examples of this
strategy are chartering a celebration team, manage-
ment letting staff members know through an e-mail
or hand-written note when management notices
something positive they have done, and a spotlight
in the internal newsletter by nurse leaders on
recognizing employees who are Bcaught[doing
something right.
Communication
Communication and openness to feedback are 2
very important concepts in any organization. Using
the right tools and techniques for various types of
communication is also critical. Leaders within an
organization can often adopt a specific style of
communication that may not always be understood
by staff members. Droppers
31
states, Bone of the
most common communication mistakes leaders
make is to communicate with the same level of
complexity they’re comfortable working with.[
(p62)
The following strategies have all been designed to
help facilitate more effective communication
between staff members and management.
JONA Vol. 38, No. 10 October 2008 445
Copyright @ 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
One strategy to develop a more effective
communication is when nurse leaders listen to
what nurses are saying about patient care.
13
As
nurses are the primary caregivers at the bedside,
they are the most attuned to what is happening in
this arena. When nurse leaders actively listen to
what their staff nurses are saying about patient
care, they are demonstrating a true commitment to
their staff. Listening to staff also provides valida-
tion of staff concerns and conveys a greater sense
of commitment from hospital leadership to the
staff members. Examples of how management can
actively listen are through providing time during
staff meetings for employees to discuss their
concerns, management having an open-door policy
with staff, and managers being visible on the wards
and rounding frequently on the unit with staff
members.
Another strategy to facilitate better communi-
cation within the organization is implementation of
shared governance models and increased collabo-
rative communication.
13,23,25
Shared governance
models based on participative management philos-
ophies have been implemented in nursing settings
to promote professional practice and subsequently
enhance the quality of work life of nurses.
24,25,31
Some examples of how shared governance models
can facilitate communication are by encouraging
nurses to network with colleagues and collaborate
among other units and departments and dedicating
key positions on committees where patient care
policies and procedures are decided by staff nurses
where effective communication is essential.
Nurse leaders can also facilitate better commu-
nication by incorporating clear communication
systems.
29,31,32,35
Keeping communication simple
and clear to ensure understanding is an important
strategy. According to Droppers,
31
certain methods
are best used for specific types of information.
Town hall meetings are used for big picture ideas and
messages. Small group discussions that can occur
during walking rounds can be used for questions and
dialogue. E-mail should only be used for short,
concise time-sensitive communications that typically
do not require discussion or can lead to misinter-
pretation. By incorporating these simple strategies for
communication, nurse leaders will ensure that infor-
mation is provided to staff members in a clear,
concise manner that is easy to understand.
Summary
Nurse turnover should be viewed from a change
perspective where growth and improvements are
not only possible but necessary. Nursing turnover
has an immense impact not only on the nursing
staff and profession itself but also on the economy
of healthcare systems. This protocol will be help-
ful in providing evidence in the areas of nurse
autonomy, recognition, and communication for
nurse leaders to use when addressing the critical
issues of nurse retention and turnover.
The profession of nursing will be unable to
compete with other career opportunities unless we
provide adequate rewards and recognition to our
most valuable assetsVour employeesVand develop
better communication standards in the clinical
setting and provide clinical practice opportunities
and responsibilities that match the registered
nurse’s knowledge and skill and facilitate auton-
omy and empowerment of staff. Encouraging
nurse leaders to be actively involved and suppor-
tive of nursing staff is also critical to decreasing the
rates of turnover. With a healthcare system in
crisis, now is the time to create an environment
that serves the interests of our patients, protects the
public safety, and ensures the ongoing viability of
nursing.
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... Stronger discretion also contributes positively to nurses' job satisfaction, which is a significant predictor of turnover intention (Djukic, Kovner, Brewer, Fatehi, & Greene, 2014;Lu, While, & Barriball, 2005). Therefore, enhancement of employee discretion and autonomy has been a major approach to help retain nurses (Gess, Manojlovich, & Warner, 2008;Hayhurst, Saylor, & Stuenkel, 2005;Upenieks, 2003). In Australia nurses in the aged care sector reported levels of job discretion similar to those in other health services (Hegney, Plank, & Parker, 2006). ...
... The 2012 NACWCS used the 5-item instrument developed and validated as the Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI) to assess respondents' perception of work-life interference (see e.g. Gess et al., 2008;Pocock, Skinner, & Williams, 2007;Skinner & Pocock, 2011, 2014Upenieks, 2003). The items are provided in Appendix A1. ...
Working Paper
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Using the theoretical lens of the Job Characteristics Model, this paper uses the data from the 2012 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey (NACWCS) in Australia to examine the relationship between aged care employees' perceived job quality and intention to stay in current aged care facilities, mediated by work-life interference. We find a direct positive effect of perceived job quality on intention to stay and a mediated effect of perceived job quality on intention to stay through work-life interference.
... It is also unsurprising, knowing this, that Canadian public health RDs felt that the organizations they worked for considered their contributions to be nonessential and of only moderate value. Considering that close to 90% of public health RDs in our sample had been redeployed, it will be particularly important that Canadian healthcare organizations give public health RDs: (i) the space, time and resources to debrief and recover from a potentially traumatic redeployment experience [23,[36][37][38][39], and (ii) demonstrate widely and loudly their appreciation, respect and support for the initiatives and "outputs" of public health RDs working within their organizations [36,[39][40][41]. Otherwise, there may be significant attrition from this workforce [35,42], which will have long-lasting, far-reaching, negative impacts on population health [8,43]. ...
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Background Healthcare workers experienced significant disruptions to both their personal and professional lives throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. How healthcare workers were impacted varied, depending on area of specialization, work setting, and factors such as gender. Dietetics is a female-dominated profession and the differential impact on women of the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely reported. While researchers have explored Registered Dietitians’ (RDs) experiences during the pandemic, none have looked explicitly at their experiences of redeployment. The objectives of this study were to better understand: (i) the impact of COVID-19 (and related redeployments) on the work-lives of RDs, (ii) what types of COVID-19 related supports and training were made available to these RDs, and (iii) the impact of RD redeployment on access to RD services. Methods An online survey was administered in June 2022. Any RD that that was publicly-employed in Canada during the pandemic was eligible to participate. The survey included questions related to respondent demographics, professional details, redeployment and training. We conducted descriptive analyses on the quantitative data. Results The survey was completed by 205 eligible RDs. There were notable differences between public health and clinical RDs’ redeployment experiences. Only 17% of clinical RDs had been redeployed, compared to 88% of public health RDs. Public health RDs were redeployed for longer and were more likely to be redeployed to roles that did not required RD-specific knowledge or skills. The most commonly reported mandatory training was for proper use of personal protective equipment. The most commonly reported reasons for a lengthy absence from work were anxiety about contracting COVID-19, school closures and limited child care availability. Conclusions Public health RDs are at the forefront of campaigns to reduce the burden of chronic disease, improve health equity and enhance the sustainability of food systems. Close to 90% of these RDs were redeployed, with many seeing their typical work undone for many months. More research is needed to quantify the consequences of going without a public health nutrition workforce for an extended period of time and to understand the differential impact gender may have had on work experiences during the pandemic.
... Research on turnover rates indicates average annual turnover rates for nurses are between 14% and 27% in Canada [49]. This finding is supported by data worldwide that found the average turnover rate for nurses to be between 15% and 36% [50,51]. For this study, we will use job turnover rates as a guide to target the areas that are more or less successful with retention. ...
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Background: COVID-19 has highlighted already existing human resource gaps in health care systems. New Brunswick health care services are significantly weakened by a shortage of nurses and physicians, affecting regions where Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) reside. Since 2008, Vitalité Health Network (the "Network"), whose work language is French (with services delivered in both official languages, English and French), has provided health care to OLMCs in New Brunswick. The Network currently needs to fill hundreds of vacant physician and nurse positions. It is imperative to strengthen the network's retention strategies to ensure its viability and maintain adequate health care services for OLMCs. The study is a collaborative effort between the Network (our partner) and the research team to identify and implement organizational and structural strategies to upscale retention. Objective: The aim of this study is to support one of New Brunswick health networks in identifying and implementing strategies to promote physician and registered nurse retention. More precisely, it wishes to make 4 important contributions to identify (and enhance our understanding of) the factors related to the retention of physicians and nurses within the Network; determine, based on the "Magnet Hospital" model and the "Making it Work" framework, on which aspects of the Network's environment (internal or external) it should focus for its retention strategy; define clear and actionable practices to help the Network replenish its strength and vitality; and improve the quality of health care services to OLMCs. Methods: The sequential methodology combines quantitative and qualitative approaches based on a mixed methods design. For the quantitative part, data collected through the years by the Network will be used to take stock of vacant positions and examine turnover rates. These data will also help determine which areas have the most critical challenges and which ones have more successful approaches regarding retention. Recruitment will be made in those areas for the qualitative part of the study to conduct interviews and focus groups with different respondents, either currently employed or who have left it in the last 5 years. Results: This study was funded in February 2022. Active enrollment and data collection started in the spring of 2022. A total of 56 semistructured interviews were conducted with physicians and nurses. As of manuscript submission, qualitative data analysis is in progress and quantitative data collection is intended to end by February 2023. Summer and fall 2023 is the anticipated period to disseminate the results. Conclusions: Applying the "Magnet Hospital" model and the "Making it Work" framework outside urban settings will offer a novel outlook to the knowledge of professional resource shortages within OLMCs. Furthermore, this study will generate recommendations that could contribute to a more robust retention plan for physicians and registered nurses. International registered report identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/41485.
... Substantial studies have confirmed the benefits of autonomy, primarily on nurses' retention (e.g. Gess, Manojlovich & Warner, 2008;Hayes et al., 2006;Kramer & Schmalenberg, 2003). As a result, nurses experience increased respect, status and recognition (Hinshaw, 2002), reduced turnover rates and burnout (McClure et al., 2002;Vahey et al., 2004;Hayes et al., 2006). ...
... However, the desire to leave the profession has an inverse correlation with professional commitment. Nurses with higher professional commitment think less about leaving their job than their peers (13,14). ...
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Background: As the largest and most fundamental group targeted by programs developed to improve quality of care, nurses should be the focus of attention in the management of human resources in the field of health care. A review of literature on this subject revealed the lack of scales designed for measuring professional commitment in nurses. The present study was designed to develop a scale to measure professional commitment in clinical nurses and examine its psychometric properties. Methods: This study will develop a professional commitment scale for clinical nurses within one qualitative and one quantitative step. The first step of the study will entail a review of the literature on the subject and interviews with clinical nurses so as to develop the categories and the items. The second step, the quantitative step, will analyze the items extracted in the qualitative step, determining the features of the topics and factor structure of the scale. The initial scale will be completed by 300 clinical nurses. The correlation among the topics, the construct validity, and reliability of the scale will also be examined in this step. Results and Discussion: This study will develop an instrument that can measure professional commitment in clinical nurses. Given the lack of instruments for measuring professional commitment in clinical nurses, the findings of this study may be of help to nursing managers, authorities, and the health system in general.
... 1 The cost of replacing an NM is estimated to be 4 to 5 times higher than what hospitals typically calculate. 2 The cost is exacerbated by aging demographics and younger nurses who view the NM role as demanding, making it an unattractive option. 3 Evidence suggests that NMs_ stress level and performance have direct effects on nurse satisfaction and turnover, influence the quality of the work environment, and can affect their mental and physical health. ...
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Objective: A qualitative exploratory inquiry was used to understand nurse managers' (NMs') perceptions of their role stressors, coping strategies, and self-health related outcomes as a result of frequent exposure to stressful situations in their role. Background: Strong nursing leadership is required for desirable staff, patient, and organizational outcomes. A stressed NM will negatively influence staff nurse satisfaction and retention, patient outcomes, and organizational performance. Stress can affect NMs' mental and physical heath, leading to job dissatisfaction and turnover. Methods: A qualitative exploratory inquiry was conducted using semistructured interviews with 23 NMs and 1 focus group interview. Results: Findings suggest that coping strategies may be inadequate, given the intensity and demands of the manager role, and could negatively impact NMs' long-term health. Conclusions: Senior nurse leaders can significantly impact the health and productivity of NMs by minimizing the adverse effects of role stress and foster a positive work environment.
... The experience of the nurses in this study showed that positive management behaviors with sub-categories of providing appropriate feedback through a reward system and support are the basis of enhancing the spirit of nursing staff, and are seen as one of the inhibitor guidelines preventing thoughts of leaving bedside care. Providing positive feedback appropriately is a role available to nurses which leads to a culture that is not only productive, but is also focused on promoting positive outcomes (25) . Results of a study conducted in Australia showed that a positive work environment and important attributes of nursing managers such as availability, appreciation and support of staff and consultation with them could increase the levels of job satisfaction in the system (26) . ...
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OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the barriers and facilitators shaping the development of an intent to leave the nursing profession, from the perspective of Iran's clinical nurses. METHOD The study was completed using qualitative content analysis And included 21 Participants who were clinical nurses with a variety of work experience across a range of clinical posts. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and data obtained from the interviews were analyzed and interpreted utilizing a content analysis method. RESULTS During data analysis, 2 main themes, 5 categories and 12 subcategories were extracted as follows. Facilitators include: (I) spoiled identity (weak social status and violation of dignity), (II) frustration (feeling subordinate including a lack of appreciation), and (III) experience of hard labor (job stress, hard work and shift work). Inhibitors include: (I) positive management behaviors (rewards and support systems), and (II) being valuable (spiritual satisfaction, the efficient presence and professional capabilities development). CONCLUSION Based on the findings, it can be concluded that managers can prevent nurses from leaving clinical nursing by providing appropriate activities for them and increasing their motivation and satisfaction.
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Background: Healthcare workers experienced significant disruptions to both their personal and professional lives throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. How health providers were impacted varied, depending on area of specialization, work setting, and other factors. Dietetics is a female-dominated profession and the differential impact on women of the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely reported. While researchers have explored RDs’ experiences during the pandemic, none have looked explicitly at their experiences of redeployment. The objectives of this study were to better understand: i) the impact of COVID-19 (and related redeployments) on the work-lives of Registered Dietitians (RDs), ii) what types of COVID-19 related supports and training were made available to these RDs, and iii) the impact of RD redeployment on access to RD services. Methods: An online survey was administered in June 2022. Any RD that that was publicly-employed in Canada during the pandemic was eligible to participate. The survey included questions related to respondent demographics, professional details, redeployment and training. We conducted descriptive analyses on the quantitative data. Results: The survey was completed by 205 eligible RDs. There were notable differences between public health and clinical RDs’ redeployment experiences. Only 14% of clinical RDs had been redeployed, compared to 88% of public health RDs. Public health RDs were redeployed for longer and were more likely to be redeployed to roles that did not required RD-specific knowledge or skills. The most commonly reported mandatory training was for proper use of PPE. The most commonly reported reasons for a lengthy absence from work were anxiety about contracting COVID-19, school closures and limited child care availability. Conclusions: Public health RDs are at the forefront of campaigns to reduce the burden of chronic disease, improve health equity and enhance the sustainability of food systems. Close to 90% of these RDs were redeployed, with many seeing their typical work undone for many months. More research is needed to quantify the consequences of going without a public health nutrition workforce for an extended period of time and to understand the differential impact gender may have had on work experiences during the pandemic.
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Background Nurse turnover is an issue of concern in health care systems internationally. Understanding which interventions are effective to reduce turnover rates is important to managers and health care organisations. Despite a plethora of reviews of such interventions, strength of evidence is hard to determine. Objective We aimed to review literature on interventions to reduce turnover in nurses working in the adult health care services in developed economies. Method We conducted an overview (systematic review of systematic reviews) using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, CINAHL plus and SCOPUS and forward searching. We included reviews published between 1990 and January 2015 in English. We carried out parallel blinded selection, extraction of data and assessment of bias, using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews. We carried out a narrative synthesis. Results Despite the large body of published reviews, only seven reviews met the inclusion criteria. These provide moderate quality review evidence, albeit from poorly controlled primary studies. They provide evidence of effect of a small number of interventions which decrease turnover or increase retention of nurses, these being preceptorship of new graduates and leadership for group cohesion. Conclusion We highlight that a large body of reviews does not equate with a large body of high quality evidence. Agreement as to the measures and terminology to be used together with well-designed, funded primary research to provide robust evidence for nurse and human resource managers to base their nurse retention strategies on is urgently required.
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Based on a questionnaire survey of 279 business and government managers, this study sheds light on two questions: (a) which organizational experiences have the greatest impact on managers' organizational commitment attitudes and (b) how does the significance of such experience vary with organizational tenure, particularly at early career stages? The results identify several commitment-relevant experiences and suggest that the influence potential of particular experiences varies significantly with tenure.
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Background. Autonomy plays an important part in nurses’ job satisfaction and retention, but the literature shows that they are often dissatisfied with this aspect and want better working conditions and greater autonomy in decision-making. Aims. The aim of this study was to examine the role that nurse managers have in enhancing hospital staff nurses’ autonomy. Methods. The study used a comparative descriptive survey design. Data collection took place over the Internet through the use of selective listservs in the United States of America (USA), Canada, and the United Kingdom. Of the 317 hospital nurses participating, 264 (83·3%) were from the USA. Differences relating to nurses, nurse managers, and hospital settings were controlled in the analysis. Results. Nurses were more autonomous in making patient care decisions than unit operational decisions, and they perceived their autonomy to be at a moderate level. Those who were autonomous in patient care decision-making were also likely to be autonomous in unit operation decision-making. Nurse managers’ actions had a strong relationship with nurses’ autonomy in deciding on patient care and unit operation decisions, and with total autonomy. The three important variables that were reported by staff nurses to increase their autonomy were supportive management, education and experience. The three most important factors that were reported to decrease nurses’ autonomy were autocratic management, doctors and workload. Discussion. Technical issues such as the availability of listservs, valid e-mails, viruses, and familiarity with the Internet and its applications were the major limitations of this study. Nurses’ autonomy over patient care and unit operations decisions needs to be enhanced, and nurse managers should promote this. Similarly, there is a role for nurse education, both in preregistration programmes and in continuing education for managers. Further research needs to explore the barriers that nurses face in autonomous decision-making and how nurses’ participation in unit operational decisions can be promoted. Conclusions. Hospital staff nurses have moderate autonomy which could be increased by more effective support from nurse managers. The use of electronic questionnaires is a promising data collection method.
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Diversity in the conceptualization and measurement of organizational commitment has made it difficult to interpret the results of an accumulating body of research. In this article, we go beyond the existing distinction between attitudinal and behavioral commitment and argue that commitment, as a psychological state, has at least three separable components reflecting (a) a desire (affective commitment), (b) a need (continuance commitment), and (c) an obligation (normative commitment) to maintain employment in an organization. Each component is considered to develop as a function of different antecedents and to have different implications for on-the-job behavior. The aim of this reconceptualization is to aid in the synthesis of existing research and to serve as a framework for future research.
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Staff turnover, stress, and satisfaction are continual problems plaguing the delivery of health care and, specifically, nursing care. Numerous investigations have been conducted to identify the major phenomena pertaining to these concerns. Models have been constructed and tested specifying the relationships among staff stress, satisfaction, other predictive factors, and voluntary/involuntary turnover. Traditionally, turnover has been the focus of research endeavors, while the other factors have been investigated in terms of their impact on it (Mobley, Griffeth, Hand, & Meglino, 1979).
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What dimensions of nursing practice prove most critical when implementing models of nurse/physician collaboration in the hospital setting? What preparation is necessary for joint practice? The author examines those issues in this last article in a three-part series focusing on the experience of the National Joint Practice Commission’s hospital project on nurse/physician collaboration. Two earlier articles dealt with the essential elements of nurse/physician collaboration in hospitals and the outcomes of the project.