Factors Influencing Turnover Intention of Nurses in Small-medium sized Hospitals / 간호행정학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine the relationships among practice environment, nursing professionalism, career commitment, and turnover intention in nurses working in small-medium sized hospitals. METHOD: This study utilized a descriptive correlational design. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from 362 nurses in 7 small-medium sized hospitals and analyzed with SPSS 18.0. RESULT: The mean scores for practice environment, nursing professionalism, career commitment, and turnover intention were 2.29 on a 4-point scale and 3.13, 2.78, 3.51 on a 5-point scale, respectively. The practice environment showed significantly positive correlations with nursing professionalism and career commitment. Nursing professionalism showed a significantly positive correlation with career commitment. The highest significant negative correlation was between practice environment and turnover intention. Nursing professionalism and career commitment had negative correlations with turnover intention. Factors having significant influence on turnover intention included age, assigned ward, average wage, practice environment, and career commitment. These factors explained 43.0% of variance in turnover intention. Practice environment was identified as the most important variable in explaining turnover intention. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate the necessity of improving the practice environment and increasing nurses' career commitment if turnover intention in small-medium sized hospitals is to be lowered.