When Nurses Leave: A Critical Incident Study of Turnover Intentions

The aim of the study was to identify critical incidents that may have led nurses to consider leaving their practice setting or their profession.

A qualitative design using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) within a larger mixed-methods study.

Participants were asked to write about a problematic situation in their workplace which made them consider leaving their job or the profession. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The COREQ checklist for qualitative research was used in this study.

There was a total of 350 critical incidents written by 187 nurses. Four themes were identified: (1) working within constraints (2) abandoned (3) compromised care and (4) unpredictability of work. An underlying issue throughout the nurses' stories was the perception of not being respected or valued.

Making the decision to leave was not based on any one single event, but rather on a process that evolved over time based on many challenging situations that nurses encountered.

Understanding the complex reasons that lead nurses to consider leaving is essential in order to identify targeted interventions to retain nurses.

This study addresses the issue of nurses' intentions to leave. One of the findings suggests that nurses need to feel valued and want to be more involved in unit-based decisions. The results of this study will help managers gain a better understanding of why nurses consider leaving.

The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines for qualitative research were followed.

No patient or public contribution.