If organisations want to retain qualified nurses they need to tackle the
different work factors that are important to the three key age groups
and build on the strong attachment that many nurses feel to the
profession. Those are the key messages to emerge from a large-scale
survey of nurses published in the January issue of the Journal of
Advanced Nursing.
Australian researchers surveyed 900 nurses from seven private hospitals
in four states, breaking them down into Baby Boomers (44 to 46 years),
Generation X (29 to 43 years) and Generation Y (under 29).
The sample was representative of the nursing population in Australia.
Most were women (96%), over 42 years of age, working as Registered
Nurses (RNs) and doing between five and eight shifts a week.
“Our findings, which we believe may be applicable to many international
hospitals, show that there is no single driver behind nurse retention”
says co-author Dr Kate Shacklock, Senior Lecturer in Employment
Relations and Human Resources at Griffith University, Queensland.
“Older nurses were more likely to be influenced by a larger number of
factors than younger nurses and flexible working arrangements, which
have been suggested by some as a possible solution to retention issues,
were not deemed significant by any of the three age groups.
“However, one clear message emerged, that nurses feel a strong
attachment to healing and to working in the nursing profession. This was
the only variable identified by all three age groups. We believe that
strategies that build on this and the other variables identified in our
study may improve hospital retention rates.”
Developed countries around the globe are currently suffering nurse
shortages. For example, latest figures show that of the qualified nurses
currently working in Australia, only 73% were employed in nursing. The
Canadian Nurses Association has predicted a shortfall of 60,000 RNs by
2022 and the American Nurses Association reports that only 80% of those
educated and licensed to practice are working as RNs, meaning that
480,000 are not.
“These well documented shortages are due to fewer people entering and
staying in the profession and the increase in demand for nurses as
health services expand to meet the needs of an ageing population” says
Dr Shacklock.
Key findings of the survey include:
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Six independent variables had an important influence on the nurses’
intentions to continue nursing and between them these accounted for
21% of the variations in these intentions.
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Being committed to healing and nursing was the only independent
variable identified in the youngest Generation Y age group.
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Two independent variables were identified in the Generation X nurses:
being committed to healing and nursing and the quality of their
relationship with their supervisor.
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Five independent variables were identified in the oldest Baby Boomer
group: being committed to healing and nursing, work-family conflict,
being allowed to decide how and when to carry out tasks, how well they
got on with colleagues and the importance of working.
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The only factor tested that did not prove a significant influence in
any of the age groups was flexible working arrangements.
The data was collected from anonymous surveys sent to the seven
hospitals and the 900 completed surveys represented a response rate of
36%.
Over half of the respondents (54%) were Baby Boomers, 38% were
Generation X and 8% were Generation Y. Seven out of ten (69%) were RNs
and the sample also included nurse unit managers, enrolled nurses and
endorsed enrolled nurses. A third (33%) had worked at their hospital for
more than 15 years and 59% had worked at their hospital for more than
five years. More than half (58%) worked part time, 28% full time and the
rest on a casual basis.
“The results of our study provide compelling arguments for changes to
how Governments and healthcare providers tackle the growing challenges
posed by the global nursing shortage” concludes co-author Dr Yvonne
Brunetto, Associate Professor in the School of Commerce and Management
at Southern Cross University, New South Wales.
“Our findings confirm that there is no single driver behind nurse
retention and that further research is necessary. However, one clear
message emerges – that nurses feel a strong attachment to healing and to
the nursing profession and this is a key factor influencing their
intention to continue nursing.
“We believe that the secret to improving hospital nurse retention rates
is to build on this commitment to the nursing profession and to tackle
the specific variables identified by our study for the three generations
of nurses. Trying to tackle retention using a one-size-fits-all policy
is clearly not the way forward.”
The paper is free online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05709.x/pdf
