Determinants of hospital staff nurse turnover

Organizational and nonorganizational determinants of staff nurse turnover are investigated in a panel study of 1,259 nurses employed in two university-affiliated hospitals. Findings are consistent with a causal chain in which perceived autonomy, job satisfaction, intent to leave the hospital and turnover are a sequence of outcomes reflecting the successive stages of a nurse's decision to resign. Both personal characteristics and job-related attributes are predictive at various stages of the process, although family status variables have no significant effects. Implications for hospital management of turnover are discussed.