Retaining nurses in metropolitan areas: insights from senior nurse and human resource managers.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the views of senior nurse and human resource managers of strategies to retain hospital nurses in a metropolitan area.


BACKGROUND
Against a global shortage, retaining nurses is a management imperative for the quality of hospital services.


METHODS
Semi-structured interviews, thematically analysed.


RESULTS
Metropolitan areas have many health organisations in geographical proximity, offering nurses choices in employer and employment. Senior nurse and human resource managers recognised the complexity of factors influencing nurse turnover, including those that 'pulled' nurses out of their jobs to other posts and factors that 'pushed' nurses to leave. Four themes emerged in retaining nurses: strategy and leadership, including analysis of workforce and leavers' data, remuneration, the type of nursing work and career development and the immediate work environment.


CONCLUSIONS
In contexts where multiple organisations compete for nurses, addressing retention through strategic leadership is likely to be important in paying due attention and apportioning resources to effective strategies.


CONCLUSIONS
Aside from good human resource management practices for all, strategies tailored to different segments of the nursing workforce are likely to be important. This metropolitan study suggests attention should be paid to strategies that address remuneration, progressing nursing careers and the immediate work environment.
Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education Kingston University & St George's University of London, London, UK. V.drennan@sgul.kingston.ac.uk.
Vari M
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8915-5185
VM
Drennan
Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education Kingston University & St George's University of London, London, UK.
Mary
M
Halter
Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education Kingston University & St George's University of London, London, UK.
Julia
J
Gale
Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK.
Ruth
R
Harris
D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000523:psychology* / Q000639:trends; D009726:Nurses / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000639:trends*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006113:United Kingdom; D000078329:Workforce; D017132:Workplace / Q000592:standards
human resource managers; metropolitan area; qualitative research; retaining nurses; senior nurses