Comparison of Engagement, Turnover Intention, and Tenure of Medical-Surgical Nurses: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this study was to explore turnover intention and engagement among medical-surgical (M/S) nurses.

Nursing turnover impacts retention and patient care. Research focusing on M/S nurses is limited.

Nurses at 8 acute care hospitals in a Midwest health system were surveyed using the Turnover Intention Scale and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale.

Nurses with 2-5 years of experience had higher turnover intentions compared with nurses with 1 year (P=0.049), 6-10 years (P=0.045), and 21+ years (P=0.006). Nurses with 2-5 years of experience were less engaged compared with those with 21+ years on subscales vigor (P=0.005), dedication (P=0.003), and absorbed (P=0.027).

Nurses with 2-5 years of experience posed the highest risk for turnover due to high turnover intentions and low engagement. Additional research is needed to explore differences between groups and ways to improve engagement and reduce turnover among M/S nurses.