Exploring Retention Strategies for Mid-Career Nurses: A Scoping Review and Thematic Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Human Resources in Healthcare

Background:

• Healthcare systems struggle with nurse retention, especially among mid-career professionals.
• Mid-career nurse turnover impacts patient care and mentorship availability.
• Existing retention strategies primarily focus on early-career nurses, with less research on mid-career professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the scope and nature of research on mid-career nurse retention.
• To identify interventions targeting mid-career nurse retention.
• To uncover knowledge gaps in mid-career nurse retention strategies.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's framework.
• Systematic searches of PubMed, CINAHL, and grey literature were performed.
• Studies published between January 2014 and February 2025 on mid-career nurse retention were included.

Main Results:

• Twenty-two studies from 10 countries met the inclusion criteria.
• Sixteen studies examined interventions for mid-career nurses, focusing on role satisfaction, work culture, and customized strategies.
• The effectiveness of these interventions remains unclear due to limited outcome data and inconsistent measurement.

Conclusions:

• There is a significant lack of focused initiatives for mid-career nurse retention.
• Further research is needed to define 'mid-career nurse' and evaluate intervention effectiveness.
• Formal evaluation of existing programs is crucial to assess their impact on retention.