The retention of the older nursing workforce: A literature review exploring factors that influence the retention and turnover of older nurses

Abstract

In an era of nursing shortages and increased health care demands, it is important to explore factors which contribute to the retention of nursing staff, especially older nurses who contribute a wealth of knowledge and experience to their employing organization. This literature review explored the factors that influence older nurses to leave an organization or to retire early and identified a number of key issues which can influence this decision. These included the need to respect and recognise the achievements of older staff, specific managerial characteristics which influence staff retention, the importance of empowerment and autonomy, the valuing of expertise, the provision of challenges, creating a sense of community within an organization, the importance of education and peer development, the impact of work demands and environment, the influence of flexible working and shift options and the issue of adequate financial reimbursement. From this review, a variety of recommendations have been generated which it is hoped will help to inform the creation of policies and practices that specifically address the issue of retention of older nursing staff.

Why Do Older RNs Keep Working?

“…16,18,41,42 They also need to be given access to high-value work that challenges them mentally and strengthens their self-esteem and sense of empowerment. 18,27,33,43,44 Policies and career pathways need to be developed that focus on how the expertise of older nurses can best be used. 18,45 Lastly, healthcare organizations need to ensure that the organizational culture is healthy, as older nurses highly value good working relationships.…”

“…17 A review of the literature identifies a number of studies addressing strategies to retain older nurses in the workforce. 18 However, the reasons older nurses choose to continue to work beyond the age when they could retire are largely unstudied and thus underreported. As workforce shortages are projected to continue and the proportion of nurses approaching retirement age increases, 5 understanding why this cohort may choose to remain working is important.…”

Comparing the impact of leader–member exchange, psychological empowerment and affective commitment upon Australian public and private sector nurses: implications for retention

“…Workplace relationships are especially vital for women (Shacklock, Brunetto and Nelson 2009) and importantly, the significance of relationships increases with age for nurses (Moseley, Jeffers and Paterson 2008). Some scholars have identified the supervisor -subordinate relationship as the factor most likely to improve commitment to the organisation (Brunetto, Farr-Wharton and Shacklock 2010) and retention (Taunton et al 1997;Cohen 2006).…”

Excellent Hospital Care for All: Open and Operating 24/7

“…On the one hand, clinicians are increasingly expressing quality of life as a priority, making night and weekend coverage more unpopular. 23,24 On the other hand, high-quality patient care is a major if not the most important factor in increasing job satisfaction among nurses and physicians. [25][26][27] Therefore, future cost-utility analyses should also incorporate considerations of provider preferences, especially in our current environment of workforce shortages.…”