Is satisfaction a direct predictor of nursing turnover? Modelling the relationship between satisfaction, expressed intention and behaviour in a longitudinal cohort study
2008

Job Satisfaction and Nursing Turnover

Sample size: 3669 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Trevor Murrells, Sarah Robinson, Peter Griffiths

Primary Institution: National Nursing Research Unit, King's College London

Hypothesis

Does job satisfaction directly predict nursing turnover?

Conclusion

Intentions expressed by nurses are stronger predictors of working as a nurse than job satisfaction.

Supporting Evidence

  • Intentions expressed at 6 months to nurse at 18 months were associated with higher scores on pay and relationships.
  • Regression models found significant associations between pay and staffing factors and intentions expressed at 6 months to nurse at 18 months.
  • Development was the only job satisfaction factor significantly associated with working as a nurse at 18 months.

Takeaway

If nurses are happy with their jobs, they are more likely to stay, but what they plan to do is even more important.

Methodology

The study used a national sample of newly qualified nurses surveyed at 6 months, 18 months, and 3 years, employing ANOVA, MANOVA, structural equation modeling, and logistic regression.

Potential Biases

Non-response bias may exist due to the assumption of missing at random.

Limitations

The analysis was limited to certain variables due to the secondary nature of the data, and there was potential bias due to attrition.

Participant Demographics

Participants were newly qualified nurses from various branches of nursing in England.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Confidence Interval

95% CI 0.767 to 0.873

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1478-4491-6-22

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