The role of professional identity and job satisfaction in paediatric nurses' intention to remain employed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

The mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between professional calling and turnover intention among Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Nurse turnover is a global public health challenge, particularly in China due to high work intensity and personnel shortages. Effective nursing management and well-being strategies can reduce turnover intentions by improving job satisfaction and work environments. However, empirical evidence on how professional calling influences nurse turnover intentions in China is lacking. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of work engagement between professional calling and turnover intentions among Chinese clinical nurses.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional survey research design. A convenience sampling method was used to select 906 clinical nurses from Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces in China. A professional calling scale, work engagement scale, and turnover intention scale were used to survey the included research subjects.

RESULTS

Correlation analysis results revealed that professional calling was negatively correlated with turnover intentions (r=-0.852, P < 0.01), work engagement was negatively correlated with turnover intentions (r=-0.790, P < 0.01), and professional calling was significantly positively correlated with work engagement (r = 0.834, P < 0.01). The mediation effect analysis results found that the total effect of professional calling on turnover intentions among clinical nurses was - 0.432, with a direct effect of -0.322, accounting for 74.5% of the total effect, and the mediating effect of work engagement between professional calling and turnover intentions was - 0.110, accounting for 25.5% of the total effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhancing work engagement through interventions that strengthen nurses' professional calling can effectively reduce turnover intentions. Specific strategies include improving work environments, providing career development opportunities, and fostering a sense of professional identity.

Nurse retention in peri- and post-COVID-19 work environments: a scoping review of factors, strategies and interventions

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the deterioration of nurses' working conditions and a growing global nursing shortage. Little is known about the factors, strategies and interventions that could improve nurse retention in the peri- and post-COVID-19 period. An improved understanding of strategies that support and retain nurses will provide a foundation for developing informed approaches to sustaining the nursing workforce. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate and describe the (1) factors associated with nurse retention, (2) strategies to support nurse retention and (3) interventions that have been tested to support nurse retention, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

DATA SOURCES

This scoping review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Scopus databases were searched on 17 April 2024. The search was limited to a publication date of '2019 to present'.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods and grey literature studies of nurses (Registered Nurse (RN), Licenced Practical Nurse (LPN), Registered Practical Nurse (RPN), Publlic Health Nurse (PHN), including factors, strategies and/or interventions to support nurse retention in the peri- and post-COVID-19 period in English (or translated into English), were included. Systematic reviews, scoping reviews and meta-syntheses were excluded, but their reference lists were hand-screened for suitable studies.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

The following data items were extracted: title, journal, authors, year of publication, country of publication, setting, population (n=), factors that mitigate intent to leave (or other retention measure), strategies to address nurse retention, interventions that address nurse retention, tools that measure retention/turnover intention, retention rates and/or scores. Data were evaluated for quality and synthesised qualitatively to map the current available evidence.

RESULTS

Our search identified 130 studies for inclusion in the analysis. The majority measured some aspect of nurse retention. A number of factors were identified as impacting nurse retention including nurse demographics, safe staffing and work environments, psychological well-being and COVID-19-specific impacts. Nurse retention strategies included ensuring safe flexible staffing and quality work environments, enhancing organisational mental health and wellness supports, improved leadership and communication, more professional development and mentorship opportunities, and better compensation and incentives. Only nine interventions that address nurse retention were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the importance of nurse retention for a variety of key outcomes, it is imperative that nursing leadership, healthcare organisations and governments work to develop and test interventions that address nurse retention.

Regulatory focus as a mediator in the relationship between nurses' organizational silence and professional identity

AIMS

This work aims to analyse the current state of the professional identity of Chinese nurses; examine the relationship amongst regulatory focus, organizational silence and professional identity and determine how regulatory focus affects the relationship between professional identity and organizational silence.

DESIGN

This study conducted a cross-sectional survey.

METHODS

From June to August 2023, 420 nurses from six hospitals in Hunan Province, China, were selected through convenience sampling and surveyed by using a general information questionnaire, the regulatory focus scale, the organizational silence scale and the professional identity scale. The relationship amongst the regulatory focus, organizational silence and professional identity of nurses was examined by utilizing SPSS 25.0 and the mediating role of regulatory focus between organizational silence and nurses' professional identity was examined by applying AMOS 24.0.

RESULTS

Nurses had a moderate level of professional identity. Professional identity was positively correlated with regulatory focus and negatively correlated with organizational silence. Regulatory focus was negatively correlated with organizational silence. Mediation effect studies revealed that organizational silence and professional identity were partially mediated by regulatory focus.

CONCLUSION

In accordance with research showing that nurses' organizational silence can indirectly affect professional identity via regulatory focus, clinical nursing managers should concentrate on the interaction amongst these three variables to strengthen professional identity.

IMPACT

The results of this study serve as a reminder to nurses to select a preventive or promotive focus based on their career objectives and to effectively express their views to enhance their professional identity. This also reminds nursing managers assess nurse-led regulatory focus, identify their underlying qualities and understand their professional aspirations and career orientation, create a good atmosphere for advice and encourage nurses to express their views, so as to improve nurses 'professional identity.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.