A qualitative study on the experiences and attributions for resigned nurses with career plateau

OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to understand the experiences of nurses who resigned because of limited available career development opportunities and of the possible reasons for their resignation. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine clinical nurses who experienced limitations in the development of their careers and consequently left their jobs to elicit their feelings and reasons for leaving. The content analysis was used to analyze the interview data. RESULTS: Two themes and four subthemes relating to the experiences and attributions of former nurses were identified. Nurses who experienced career plateau were disappointed with the current work and uncertainty about the future. The attribution of career plateau lies in unsatisfied personal needs and the absence of organizational support. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses had strong career plateau experiences before they left, and it caused a series of negative feelings in their practice. Establish a clear career development path and multi-dimensional support from the organization may be helpful to reduce the occurrence of career plateau, thus increasing the retention of nurses.