Predictive Relationships Among Nurses’ Perceptions of Shared Governance, Psychological Empowerment, and Turnover Intentions

Background: A significant shortage of experienced nurses poses a major challenge in health care. Although evidence indicates that shared governance, a hallmark of Magnet organizations, supports nurse retention, gaps remain in understanding how psychological empowerment influences this relationship. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate predictive pathways among nurses’ perceptions of shared governance, psychological empowerment, and turnover intention, with psychological empowerment examined as a mediating mechanism. Methods: A total of 313 nurses from an integrated care system participated in a cross-sectional survey study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Nurses’ perceptions of shared governance predicted turnover intention, with psychological empowerment partially mediating this relationship. The combined effects accounted for 24% of the variance in nurses’ turnover intention. Conclusions: Nurse leaders should invest in shared governance principles that foster psychological empowerment as an intentional leadership strategy to effectively reduce turnover intention.