Nurses’ turnover intention in secondary hospitals in China: A structural equation modelling approach

AIM: To identify the factors affecting nurses’ turnover intention. BACKGROUND: The shortage of nurses has been a great challenge worldwide, and nurses’ turnover may exacerbate the situation. METHODS: A cross‐sectional study was conducted among nurses in six secondary hospitals in China. A model was constructed, and structured questionnaires were adopted to measure model variables. Structural equation modelling was used to verify the model. RESULTS: Totally, 594 valid questionnaires were collected. The final model showed an acceptable fit, and 35.0% of the total variation was explained. Nine of the ten pathways were statistically significant. The model verified the contribution of professional value, nursing practice, job stress and social support to turnover intention and their effects were mediated by job satisfaction and organisational commitment. As hypothesized, there existed a significant effect between job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Unexpectedly, job stress had a greater direct effect on turnover intention than job satisfaction and organisational commitment. CONCLUSIONS: The structural model provided a feasible model that could explain nurses’ turnover intention in China. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To prevent the turnover of nurses, administrators and managers should advisably prioritize the effect of job stress, especially in hospitals with similar medical context.