Abstract
Purpose: Supporting an experienced nursing workforce is an important strategy for facing the growing nursing shortage and increasing patient complexity. Intent to stay (ITS) is an antecedent of retention and accurate predictor of turnover. While ITS has been studied broadly in nursing literature, it is not well understood in the mid-career nurse population. This study aims to describe the factors that influence mid-career direct career nurses ITS in their current jobs. Method: An exploratory, descriptive correlational, cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted to describe how mid-career direct care nurses report ITS in their current job and describe the relationship between authentic leadership, workplace belonging, opportunity, job satisfaction, and ITS. A convenience sample of mid-career direct care nurses (N = 138) from across the United States completed an online survey. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product moment correlations, and hierarchical regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: Among the mid-career direct care nurses surveyed, 19.6% indicated no intent to stay in their current roles, 37% were neutral or undecided, and 43.5% expressed intent to stay. All four independent variables demonstrated statistically significant correlations with ITS: authentic leadership (r = .35, p < .001), opportunity (r = .41, p < .001), job satisfaction (r = .4, p< .001) and belonging (r = .23, p = .007). After controlling for personal and work-related covariates, the independent variables predicted 18.1% (F(4, 126) = 8.5, p < 0.001) of variance in mid-career direct care nurse ITS. Opportunity (β = .19, p = .04), job satisfaction (β = .3, p = .011), and gender (β = .18, p = .02), were identified as significant predictors of ITS among mid-career direct care nurses. Conclusions: With less than half the nurses in the study reporting ITS, nurse leaders must prioritize a multi-factorial approach to improving ITS for mid-career direct care nurses. Study results support the importance of job satisfaction and suggest mid-career nurses desire new challenges and opportunities. Fostering a supportive and enriching environment for mid-career direct care nurses may improve ITS in this population. Further research is needed to explore other factors that influence ITS, including personal fulfillment and passion for the direct-care nurse role.