Title : Exploring retention strategies for mid-career nurses
Abstract:
High turnover rates among nurses are a pressing concern for healthcare systems due to the associated costs and the risks posed to patient safety. Particularly troubling is the turnover of mid-career nurses, leading to a shortage of experienced staff for bedside care and mentoring early-career nurses. The departure of these seasoned professionals results in the loss of valuable institutional knowledge. While extensive research exists on turnover interventions for early-career nurses, there is a noticeable gap in evidence regarding mid-career retention strategies. The research team conducted a scoping review of the worldwide literature on retention strategies for mid-career nurses. Our objective was to systematically and iteratively identify the existing body of evidence, map the extent, range, and nature of the studies, and determine any gaps in knowledge. In total, 21 articles were included in our review. The majority of papers (n=15) examined specific retention projects for nurses. These studies were divided into strategies aimed at retaining nurses in their current roles (n=10) and initiatives preventing outward migration from the organization (n=5). Overall, the retention strategies described in the literature were categorized into three primary themes: role satisfaction, work culture, and customized retention strategies. The theme of role satisfaction highlights fundamental factors that contribute to nurses' sense of fulfilment in their professional roles, emphasizing autonomy, career advancement opportunities, and diverse career pathways as crucial elements in enhancing job satisfaction and retention among mid-career nurses. The work culture theme focuses on the organizational atmosphere and interpersonal dynamics that shape nurses' experiences, underscoring their impact on nurses' decisions to remain in their roles. The customized retention strategies theme accentuates the complex landscape of nurse retention, emphasizing the necessity of analysing nurses' profiles to understand their lifecycle and career stage needs. However, while these interventions hold promise, their effectiveness in retaining mid-career nurses remains uncertain. Many of the reviewed papers provided minimal reporting on outcomes or specific metrics at both individual and organizational levels, and there was limited discussion on unintended consequences or unexpected results. Our findings underscore the scarcity of projects addressing mid-career nurse retention and emphasize the need for innovation in this field, including piloting various interventions.
Audience Take Away:
- Audience members will gain a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on retention strategies for mid-career nurses and understand the identified gaps in this research field.
- Attendees will learn about the scarcity of innovative projects, the importance of formal evaluations and gathering nurse perspectives on the effectiveness of retention strategies.
- Healthcare administrators and policymakers can use the findings to develop and refine retention policies tailored to mid-career nurses, addressing their needs and career aspirations.
- Understanding the challenges and needs specific to mid-career nurses will allow organizations to address these issues more effectively, resulting in a more stable and experienced workforce.
