Factors influencing the retention and turnover intentions of registered nurses in a Singapore hospital

Abstract The rapid growth in Singapore's health‐care industry, coupled with an aging population has led to an acute shortage of nurses. Given the difficulty of recruiting new nurses, it is imperative to retain those already in the profession. This descriptive study explored some demographic and work‐related factors which influenced the retention and turnover intentions of Registered Nurses (RN) in a major hospital in Singapore. Using convenience sampling, 120 respondents were selected. An anonymous self‐reported questionnaire was used. Results showed that demographically, stayers and leavers differed in terms of experience as RN, specialty qualifications and practice area. A majority of the respondents gave reasons pertaining to nursing practice for both staying and leaving. Many leavers also mentioned reasons such as inadequacy of staffing, poor salary and welfare as primary influences on their intention to leave. Recommendations for management were made to assist in the retention of these RN in the future.