Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Committee Chair

Tracy Arnold

Abstract

Aim. To identify factors that affect hospice nurses’ intent to remain employed. Background. Recent literature indicates that turnover is a major problem for health care organizations, since it is costly and negatively affects patient care. Several strategies have been highlighted to help improve retention rates, however hospice nurses have special needs. Methods. To assess hospice nurse perspectives, a survey was conducted using registered nurses working in a multi-county Hospice and Palliative Care facility in the southeastern U.S. Survey items were based on information gathered from previous focus groups exploring determinants of nurse retention. Results. Eighty-eight percent (n=7) of nurses chose “supportive colleagues” as an important factor. The next most highly chosen response (n= 6, 75%) was a “supportive and responsive organization.” Half of the respondents chose “flexible/self-scheduling” and/or “supportive & empathetic manager/leader.” The most selected disincentive (n= 3, 38%) to remain employed was “emotional/physical exhaustion.” Implication for nursing management. Leaders should implement strategies to ensure that support among staff, managers, and the organization is strengthened to help offset the emotional strain that hospice nurses often face in their daily work. Adequate support can help promote retention for this specialty group.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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