Reasons for the Intention to Leave among Nurses Working in Internal Medicine and Surgery Departments of Slovenian Hospitals – A Cross Sectional Study

Aim To investigate the reasons for leaving the hospital and recommending the hospital among nurses employed at internal diseases and surgical departments. Methods A cross-sectional explorative design was employed. Eight general hospitals and two clinical centres participated in the study. All adult surgery and internal medicine departments were included. A total of 1010 registered nurses and healthcare assistants filled out the questionnaire. Demographic and job characteristics data were collected. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the National Medical Ethics Committee. Results A total of 51.5% of respondents expressed the intent to leave the hospital within the next year and 14% of them considered leaving nursing. The “intention to leave the hospital” was explained in 37.7% – 50.3% by younger age (p<0.001), poor evaluation of the professional aspect of the work (status of nurses) (p<0.001), emotional exhaustion (p<0.001), non-resolution of problems by leaders and managers (p<0.001), dissatisfaction with the current work (p<0.001) and overtime hours (p=0.005). Conclusions Our study highlights the role of hospital management and leadership as an important factor in nurse retention. The most critical group showing the intention to leave the hospital are the younger employees. There is therefore a need to design strategies for their adequate introduction to work and to implement professional development in nursing in accordance with international recommendations.