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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand the reasons why newly graduated nurses left their first job.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to understand the working environment for hospital nurses in Taiwan and learn some strategies to improve the working condition.
The turnover rate in nursing is pretty high in many countries around the world and is as serious in Taiwan as anywhere else. New nurses often left their first job in the first three months after they were hired in Taiwan. Many nurses changed their occupation registry within one year and furthermore some of them never went back to work as a nurse. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the experience and decision making process of newly graduated nurses who left their job in Taiwan.
Methods:
A phenomenological approach and in-depth interviews were used. A purposive sample of newly graduated nurses was recruited from 10 general hospitals after they had decided to leave their job in Taiwan. Sixty new nurses were interviewed. The interview was tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using content analysis.
Results:
Reasons cited for leaving their job included: heavy workload, inconsistent on-job training, non-supportive colleagues, conflict of schedule, unfulfilled personal accomplishment, lacking of quality of life and dissatisfied salary. As regards to their future career plan, a small portion of nurses indicated their intent to leave the nursing profession completely. The majority mentioned that they still love the nursing profession and would continue to search a better working environment for themselves.
Conclusion:
This is hoped that the result of this study could provide more information for the nurse mangers and hospital administrators to redesign their training program for new nurses and developing strategies for recruitment therefore promoting long-term retention of nurses. This study may also provide information on nurse’s role adaptation, so they can fit themselves in the changing healthcare working environments more efficiently.