Professional Experience Placement

This study by Dawson and colleagues (2014) aimed to reveal nurses’ experiences of turnover in Australian hospitals and to identify strategies to assist with improving retention, performance and satisfaction. This study was undertaken as there have been little research into  Australian nursing turnover rates, or where staff are involuntarily moved to other positions or locations with organisations, known as ‘churn’. Turnover can compromise patient safety, increase healthcare costs and impact on staff morale.  It is estimated turnover costs $A16 634 per nurse. Additionally, turnover can increase stress and impact on morale of remaining staff that reduces nurse productivity. Increased infection, medical error and reduced patient satisfaction can occur as a response to turnover. There are a range of factors that contribute to nursing turnover and many are within the work environment. These include lack of autonomy or collaboration. Individual factors such as affective professional commitment, age or years of experience also contribute to turnover.

Three hundred and sixty two nurses participated in his study were gathered and analysed. The key themes that emerged were skill-mix, low nurse-patient ratios, lack of involvement in decision-making, dealing with constant change, issues with shift work, leave and pay and increased patient expectations.  The authors discuss each of these themes and provide a wealth of quotes to support their premise.

The authors discuss methods to reduce turnover which also emerged from the study.  These themes included, encouragement, providing employment options such as secondments and temporary transfers to another position, annual leave choices and employment type. The options increased job satisfaction by providing a higher level of flexibility, gain professional experience and were more family-friendly. Rewarding performance was also deemed to contribute to decreased turnover. Enhancing professional development and training and improving management practice were also found to be factors. The authors conclude by suggesting positive solutions need to be found to ensure nurse are empowered to steer their career and contribute to decisions that contribute to the delivery of quality healthcare in their workplaces.

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