Testing the Nursing Worklife Model in Canada and Australia: a multi-group comparison study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Workforce Research
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Global nursing shortages necessitate effective nurse retention strategies.
• The Nursing Worklife Model identifies environmental factors influencing nurse turnover.
• Previous testing of the model was limited to North American settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Nursing Worklife Model in Canadian and Australian hospital settings.
• To examine the relationship between supportive practice environments and nurse turnover intentions and behaviors.
• To identify cross-country differences in these relationships.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of data from 4816 nurses in Canada and Australia.
• Utilized multigroup structural equation modeling.
• Tested the theoretical model's validity across both countries.

Main Results:

• The hypothesized model was supported in both Canada and Australia with minimal differences.
• Resources within supportive professional practice environments significantly impacted nurse turnover intentions and job searching.
• Leadership critically influenced the relationship between supportive environments and turnover behaviors.

Conclusions:

• The Nursing Worklife Model is valid in both Canadian and Australian contexts.
• Management should focus on creating supportive practice environments to retain nurses.
• Investing in supportive environments is crucial for maintaining valuable nursing resources.