Factors Related to New Nursing Staff Turnover Rates

[[abstract]]Purposes: The purpose of this study is to identify the relevant factors causing voluntary resignation of newly employed nurses who have recently graduated. Additionally, this study also compares differences in nurse characteristics and resignation reasons. Methods: Target subjects were nurses working in their first full-time job at local or higher hierarchies of hospitals, who applied status changes of nursing practice registration in a 1-year period. A cross-sectional design was adopted for interviews with the questionnaire, ”Survey of relevant elements causing voluntary resignation of newly employed nurses who recently graduated.”, which reliability was validated. The study was approved by all 22 locals of the Nurses Union, except for that in PengHu County. In total, 256 questionnaires were distributed and 252 were valid for an effective return ratio of 98.4%. Results: Among the seven factors associated with resignation, ”Professional nursing characteristics” was rated highest with an average value of 3.30 (SD=.86). Age, number of children, institution distinctiveness, employment status, labor units, and hierarchies of hospitals were strongly related to ”salary and benefits,” ”professional nursing characteristics,” ”interpersonal interaction,” and ”opportunities of promotion and advanced training” (p＜.05). Analytical results demonstrate that job stress, frequent overtime, complex work responsibilities, and both physical and mental fatigue were the important factors associated with resignation of newly employed nurses who recently graduated. Conclusions: Study findings can be a reference for establishing policies and employee training programs in industry, government, and educational institutions to minimize nurse turnover