Return-to-practice initiatives in nursing retention.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Studies
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Return-to-practice initiatives are crucial for the National Health Service (NHS) but lack comprehensive literature.
• Understanding the perspectives of nurses, employers, and managers is vital for effective program implementation.
• Existing empirical studies on return-to-practice require critical evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and critique the current literature on return-to-practice programs for nurses.
• To report findings from a survey on nurse recruitment and retention in acute NHS trusts.
• To identify reasons why return-to-practice programs may not be achieving their intended impact.

Main Methods:

• Literature review from nursing, employer, and management viewpoints.
• Analysis and critique of empirical studies on return-to-practice.
• Telephone interview survey of nurses in acute NHS trusts in England (part of the Nurses' Early Leaving Study - NEXT).

Main Results:

• Findings indicate that return-to-practice programs are not achieving intended outcomes.
• Nurse recruitment and retention challenges within acute NHS trusts are significant.
• The study provides insights into the effectiveness of current return-to-practice strategies.

Conclusions:

• The effectiveness of current return-to-practice programs is questionable.
• Addressing nurse recruitment and retention issues is critical for program success.
• Further research is needed to optimize return-to-practice strategies for the NHS workforce.