Staying Despite the Intention to Leave: Insights from Frontline Nurses and Nurse Managers from a Qualitative...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Studies
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Global nursing shortages exacerbate concerns regarding burnout, workload, and retention.
• High intention to leave among nurses is a significant post-pandemic challenge.
• Limited research exists on nurses who persist in their roles despite intending to leave.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the underlying reasons for persistence among nurses who express an intention to leave their organization and profession.
• To identify factors contributing to continued high-quality care delivery by nurses considering departure.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive qualitative study design was employed.
• Data were gathered through three focus groups with frontline nurses and nurse managers in Northern Italy.
• Inductive content analysis was used to analyze data until saturation was achieved.

Main Results:

• Two primary themes emerged: 'Internal Reasons' (professional passion, commitment, autonomy, perceived usefulness, collegial relationships) and 'External Reasons' (organizational flexibility, internal mobility, professional development, responsiveness to expectations, limited external options).
• Internal factors reflect deep professional identity, while external factors are modifiable organizational elements.
• Thirty-two participants contributed to the findings.

Conclusions:

• Nurse persistence is an underexplored aspect of the intention-to-leave phenomenon.
• Organizational strategies addressing nurses' values, expectations, and development needs are crucial for retention.
• Modifiable external factors significantly influence nurse retention and workforce stability.