Towards a typology of nursing turnover: the role of shocks in nurses' decisions to leave.
OBJECTIVE
The paper reports a study to explore the decision process nurses go through before leaving, focusing on leaving decisions that are precipitated by a single, jarring event or shock.


BACKGROUND
Nursing turnover is a significant problem. Although a range of initiatives has been adopted to improve retention, recent insights from the academic literature on labour turnover have additional implications for how this problem might be managed.


METHODS
A structured questionnaire, with some open-ended items, was used to collect data. For respondents who reported a shock (n = 153), responses were cluster analysed (hierarchical, agglomerative clustering generated a solution and k-means clustering enhanced the solution). Clusters were validated using responses to open items.


RESULTS
There were three broad clusters of nursing turnover: cluster 1 described nurses whose decision to leave was precipitated by a shock that was work-related, negative and unexpected; cluster 2 described those whose decision was precipitated by a shock that was personal, positive and expected; cluster 3 describes those whose decision unfolded more gradually. Cluster 3 described the conventional picture of how turnover occurs (i.e where there is no shock), whereas clusters 1 and 2 were evidence of different types, where a shock prompts the quitting.


CONCLUSIONS
In many cases of nurse turnover, a single, jarring event, or shock, initiates thoughts of quitting. Understanding the role of shocks has implications for a range of management activities. Allocation of education, promotion and distribution of other benefits should be managed in such a way as to minimize the likelihood of shocks. Profiling of nurse leavers should be undertaken so that managers have an accurate and detailed picture of turnover.
Morrell
Kevin
K
Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. kevin.morrell@wbs.ac.uk
D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D016272:Occupational Health; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D011594:Psychometrics; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom