AN OVERVIEW OF NURSING RETENTION ISSUES

As the American population escalates, especially those aged 65 and over, and the drive for an increased quality of life intensifies, there will be a boosted requirement for qualified nurses within the U.S. healthcare system. ... [ view full abstract ]

As the American population escalates, especially those aged 65 and over, and the drive for an increased quality of life intensifies, there will be a boosted requirement for qualified nurses within the U.S. healthcare system. Particularly, hospital administrations will face the challenge of attracting qualified nurses and furthermore, have to find feasible ways to retain these nurses. There is an average turnover of 20% in the nursing career field. Attracting and retaining nurses is especially challenging when college and universities are not able to graduate the required numbers of nurses to meet the current nationwide demand; higher numbers in the future will exacerbate the requirements. This research paper identifies factors that are important to registered nurses and their impact on the nurses’ intent to remain on the job and in the nursing career field. Hospital leadership must master these elements to recruit and retain a qualified nursing staff.