Aim: To explore the factors affecting turnover of novice nurses during the 10th-15th months of employment in comparison with those during the preceding 6 months.
Background: The early turnover of novice nurses is a serious issue. Our previous study showed that 4.0% (37/923) of novice nurses quit their jobs in the initial 3rd-9th months of employment. The major determinants of their turnover were education (i.e. graduation from vocational nursing schools), undesired ward assignment and lack of peer support.
Methods: The cohort of 762 novice nurses from our previous study was followed up during the next 10th-15th months of employment. Their turnover in this period was predicted using variables from baseline data such as demographic attributes, burnout (J-MBI), assertiveness (J-RAS) and perceptions about the workplace.
Results: The findings showed that 4.6% (35/762) of novice nurses quitted their jobs during the first 15-month period. The factors affecting the turnover were: burnout, dissatisfaction with the workplace and hospital location being in Tokyo. All these factors were different from those observed for the preceding follow-up period.
Conclusion: Burnout was revealed to be the most significant factor affecting the turnover of novice nurses. Implications for nursing management Nurse managers should be vigilant and exercise care in the prevention of burnout among novice nurses.