Effects of job embeddedness and nursing professionalism on intent to stay in hospital nurses

Abstract

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate the effects of job embeddedness and nursing professionalism on intent to stay in hospital nurses. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey. Participants were 242 nurses working at four general hospitals in P city of Gyeongbuk Province, Korea. Data were collected from August 29 to September 10, 2016. Structured questionnaires were used and analyzed with the SPSS/PC program. Results: The scores were, for job embeddedness, 3.19 (out of 5.0), nursing professionalism, 3.50 (out of 5.0), and intent to stay, 5.30 (out of 8.0). The three variables were all different according to participants' general characteristics. Factors influencing intent to stay were organization fitness (one of 4 sub-factors of job embeddedness), social recognition (one of 5 sub-factors of nursing professionalism) and age (one of participants' general characteristics). These three variables explained 34% of intent to stay. Conclusion: To increase competent career nurses' intent to stay, nursing and hospital managers must develop and implement programs that help improve nurses' organization fitness to adjust well in their organization and healthcare institutions and nursing organizations must continue efforts to raise social recognition of nurses and to improve nurses' working conditions.