Perceived organizational climate and turnover intention among young nurses from a humanistic care perspective: the mediating role of work engagement

Background The high turnover of young nurses poses a significant challenge to the stability of healthcare systems worldwide. While the relationships between perceived organizational climate, work engagement, and turnover intention are established, there is a lack of research integrating a humanistic care management perspective to elucidate the specific psychological mechanisms among young nurses at their uniquely vulnerable career stage. Drawing upon this contextual lens, this study aims to evaluate the status of perceived organizational climate, work engagement, and turnover intention among young nurses, and to further explore the potential mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between perceived organizational climate and turnover intention. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to September 2025, surveying 366 young nurses from a tertiary Grade-A hospital in Shaanxi Province, China, using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Organizational Climate Questionnaire, and the Turnover Intention Questionnaire. A Structural Equation Model was employed to analyze the mediating effect. Results The findings revealed significant interrelationships among perceived organizational climate, work engagement, and turnover intention. Work engagement was found to partially mediate the relationship between perceived organizational climate and turnover intention during young nurses, explaining 34.78% of the variance. Conclusion These findings suggest that organizational climate functions as a critical job resource that may buffer turnover intention by fostering higher levels of work engagement. To maintain workforce stability, nursing managers should integrate humanistic care into organizational policies to cultivate a supportive environment. However, due to the cross-sectional design and convenience sampling from a single institution, causal inferences should be made with caution, and the generalizability of the findings may be limited.