Exploring job and workplace factors associated with nurse retention in the Irish Healthcare System

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 crisis put unprecedented pressures on nurses both globally and in Ireland. This has led to concerns that a ‘great resignation’ could take place. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, significant numbers of Irish nurses migrated for better pay and working conditions. Understanding the factors involved in retaining nurse professionals and supporting them to remain in the Irish health system is thus critical to creating a fully functioning health system and maintaining and improving population health. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was carried out with two HSE ‘Your Opinion Counts’ surveys from 2016 and 2018. The surveys examined staff opinions and experiences on a range of issues, including job satisfaction and workplace culture. Descriptive statistics and association tests were run to examine which factors were the most associated with intention to stay within the HSE. The study also assessed the changes over time (2016 versus 2018) on intention to stay and by nurse subcategory. These data were then compared with actual turnover data for nurses over the COVID-19 era. RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate that public health nurses and nurse specialists were the nurse cadres most likely to intend to remain working within the HSE. Furthermore, staff nurses and midwives had greater intention to stay in 2018 compared with 2016. Feeling valued and recognised at work was among the most associated factors related to intention to stay. CONCLUSIONS: Changing workplace cultures to more supportive environments where staff feel valued and recognised may increase staff retention. Policy makers should invest in understanding mechanisms and interventions that can change workplace cultures to increase staff retention.