Professional engagement: Connecting self-efficacy to actual turnover among hospital nurses

AimsTo examine how nurses' self-efficacy impacts professional engagement (professional opportunities exploration and workplace improvement participation), nurses' turnover intention and further on actual turnover.BackgroundThe problem of nursing shortage has become a common global issue. Nurses' self-efficacy could reduce nurses' turnover intention. However, whether professional engagement could connect nurses' self-efficacy and their actual turnover remains unknown.DesignThis study adopts a three-wave follow-up design.MethodsThis study uses proportionate random sampling to survey nurses in a large medical centre in Taiwan. Totally, 417 participants were enrolled from December 2021 to January 2022 (first wave) and followed up from February 2022 to March 2022 (second wave). The data of nurses' actual turnover (or not) were traced in May 2022 (third wave). STROBE statement was chosen as the EQUATOR checklist.ResultsSelf-efficacy was positively linked to outcome expectation, which is positively linked to professional opportunities exploration. Self-efficacy was positively linked to career interest and workplace improvement participation. Professional engagement was negatively linked to nurses' intention to leave the target hospital, which was positively linked to actual turnover.ConclusionThis study uniquely finds that professional engagement is the key to the mechanism underlying the influence of nurse' self-efficacy on their actual turnover.ImpactOur findings impact nursing management that professional engagement is as well important as nurses' self-efficacy, with an aim to maintain the professional nursing workforce.Patient or Public ContributionNurses complete the questionnaires, return them to the investigators and permit investigators to check their personnel data.

Automated summary

The study aims to examine the impact of nurses' self-efficacy on professional engagement, turnover intention, and actual turnover. The results showed that nurses' self-efficacy was positively associated with professional opportunities exploration and workplace improvement participation. Professional engagement was negatively related to nurses' intention to leave the target hospital, which was positively linked to actual turnover. The study found that professional engagement is the key mechanism underlying the influence of nurses' self-efficacy on their actual turnover.