Role conflict and intention to leave nursing

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• High nurse turnover rates pose significant challenges to healthcare systems globally.
• Understanding the factors contributing to nurses leaving the profession is crucial for retention strategies.
• Role conflict, stemming from discrepancies in expected duties and actual experiences, is a potential driver of job dissatisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between role conflict, specifically difficulty meeting public expectations, and nurses' intention to leave the profession.
• To identify which nursing student cohorts experience the highest levels of role conflict.
• To explore the specific aspects of role conflict most strongly associated with nurses' intent to leave.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative study involving 246 participants, including student and qualified nurses.
• Administration of a questionnaire designed to assess role conflict related to public expectations.
• Statistical analysis to determine the correlation between role conflict levels and expressed intention to leave nursing.

Main Results:

• Role conflict was found to be most pronounced among second and third-year nursing students.
• Specific dimensions of role conflict demonstrated a strong positive correlation with an expressed intention to leave nursing.
• The findings indicate a significant link between perceived public expectations and nurses' job satisfaction and retention.

Conclusions:

• Addressing role conflict, particularly concerning public expectations, is essential for improving nurse retention.
• Interventions should focus on supporting nursing students to manage role conflict effectively during their training.
• Healthcare organizations need to implement strategies to mitigate role conflict and foster a supportive work environment to reduce nurses leaving.