Push and pull factors of nurses' intention to leave

AimExpand knowledge about the predictive factors of nurses’ intention to leave their job, and consequently to turnover.BackgroundNurse turnover is costly and negatively influences quality of care. Understanding the association between intention to leave and modifiable features of hospital organization may inform strategies to reduce turnover.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 3667 medical and surgical nurses was conducted in Italy. Measures included intention to leave; work environment; burnout; job satisfaction and missed care using the RN4CAST instruments. Descriptive, logistic regression analysis was used.ResultsDue to job dissatisfaction, 35.5% of the nurses intended to leave their current job, and of these, 33.1% the nursing profession. Push factors included: understaffing, emotional exhaustion, poor patient safety, performing non-nursing care, being male. Pull factors included: positive perception of quality and safety of care, performing core nursing activities.ConclusionThe present study expands knowledge about the predictive factors of nurses’ intention to leave their job, and consequently to turnover, which is one of today’s major issues contributing to the shortage of nurses.Implications for Nursing ManagementNurses’ intention to leave their job is the consequence of a poor work environment, characterized by factors such as understaffing and performance of non-nursing activities