Intention to leave among newly graduated nurses: A descriptive, multicenter study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Workforce Research
• Healthcare Management
• Human Resources in Healthcare

Background:

• High turnover rates among newly graduated nurses pose challenges to healthcare systems.
• Understanding factors influencing job dissatisfaction and turnover is crucial for retention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the intention to leave among newly graduated Chinese nurses.
• To explore associations between intention to leave and nurse characteristics, person-environment fit, and social support.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional descriptive study involving 1,313 newly graduated nurses from 18 hospitals in China.
• Online questionnaires assessed intention to leave, proactive personality, person-environment fit, and perceived social support.
• Chi-squared and multilevel logistic regression analyses examined the relationships between these factors.

Main Results:

• 6.7% of newly graduated nurses reported a high intention to leave.
• Lower intention to leave was associated with working in specialty areas and higher person-organization fit.
• Higher intention to leave was linked to higher education levels, proactive personality, and exposure to negative life events.

Conclusions:

• Intention to leave among new Chinese nurses is significant and multifactorial.
• Work area, education, negative life events, and person-organization fit are key influencing factors.
• Multifaceted supportive strategies are essential for effective nurse turnover reduction.