Intention to Leave the Profession in Nursing: A Hybrid Concept Analysis

Leaving the profession is a major challenge in all organizations throughout the world. Intention to leave the profession (ILP) is what individuals perceive about leaving the profession. Nurses' perceptions of ILP are context-based and hence, studies in different contexts are needed to further explore ILP. The aim of this study was to analyze the concept of ILP, determine its attributes, antecedents, consequences, and provide a clear definition for it.

This concept analysis was done using the hybrid model. In the theoretical phase, Magiran, Iran Medex, SID, Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, and CINAHL databases were searched to retrieve ILP-related studies published in 2000-2023. In the fieldwork phase, semi-structured interviews were held with twenty nurses and nursing managers and the data were analyzed through conventional content analysis. In the final analysis phase, the results of the two former phases were compared and integrated.

ILP can be defined as "a voluntary and gradual process occurred due to professional disinterest, negative professional attitude, and unmanaged organizational stress and is associated with reduced job motivation, fatigue, and thoughts about leaving the profession which eventually leads to decision about staying in or leaving the organization".

ILP is affected by many different personal, interpersonal, occupational, professional, organizational, environmental, and social antecedents and is associated with different patient, nurse, care-related, and organizational consequences. Nursing authorities and managers need to employ strategies to manage ILP antecedents and thereby, reduce nurses' ILP.