Coming and going: A narrative review exploring the push-pull factors during nurses' careers
Ourega-Zoé Ejebu1, Julia Philippou2, Joanne Turnbull3
1School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, UK; NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex, Southampton, UK.
International Journal of Nursing Studies
|September 21, 2024
Summary
Understanding nurse retention requires tailored strategies, as factors influencing career entry and continuation vary by career stage. Addressing specific needs at each stage is crucial for healthcare systems facing global nurse shortages.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Workforce Research
- Healthcare Management
- Human Resources in Healthcare
Background:
- Global healthcare systems face significant challenges due to nurse shortages.
- A one-size-fits-all approach to nurse retention is ineffective due to diverse nursing contexts.
- Tailored retention strategies require understanding factors important to nurses at different career stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize literature on micro-level push-pull factors influencing nurses' decisions.
- To analyze factors affecting entry, retention, and departure across key career stages.
- To inform tailored strategies for nurse retention and workforce planning.
Main Methods:
- Structured literature searches of CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, and Embase databases.
- Narrative synthesis of 227 included English-language publications.
- Inclusion of health workforce policy sources for comprehensive analysis.
Main Results:
- Common retention factors include workplace support, flexible schedules, career advancement, fair treatment, and salaries.
- Unique factors emerged for each stage: student adjustment, early-career transition shock, mid-career advancement frustration, late-career recognition needs, and return-to-practice confidence/cost issues.
- Identified push-pull factors influencing nurses' career decisions.
Conclusions:
- Nurse career decisions are multi-factorial and multi-dimensional.
- Policy and practice should incorporate nuanced insights into stage-specific nurse motivations.
- Targeted interventions are essential for attracting and retaining nurses throughout their careers.
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