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Rapid Presentation Round
Other Titles
Lesson Learned: The importance of workplace support on nurse well-being and their intention to stay during the COVID-19 Pandemic [slides]
Abstract
The detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare sector have further aggravated the ongoing nursing shortage. Consequently, many nurses have opted for early retirement or felt compelled to leave their positions, leading to increased turnover rates during the pandemic. In this light, more sustainable ways need to be explored for nurse retention instead of heavy reliance on temporary nursing agencies to address staffing shortages.
A secondary cross-sectional data analysis of 1063 nurses was conducted using the Nurse Worklife and Wellness Study data collected in 2020-21. Multiple logistic regression explored the moderating effect of workplace support on the relationship between well-being and intention to stay, controlling for covariates.
The sample averaged 49.4 years of age, with a mean tenure of 22.4 years in nursing. While 74.5% intended to stay in their current job, influenced by factors such as full-time employment, sufficient salary, and younger age, higher nurses’ well-being was significantly related to higher odds of intention to stay (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 2.06). Likewise, those reporting more workplace support were over twice as likely to intend to stay (aOR = 2.40). The positive relationship between well-being and intention to stay also increased when workplace support increased (aOR = 1.50).
The study shows the critical role of workplace support in enhancing nurse retention during crises such as the pandemic, when nurses had increased stress from added workloads, uncertainty about infection, exposures. In addition, retention compensation strategies are recommended, including bonuses and surge pay.
Notes
References: American Nurses Association. (2023). Three-year annual assessment survey: Nurses need increased support from their employer. Retrieved May 15, 2024, from https://www.nursingworld.org/~48fb88/contentassets/23d4f79cea6b4f67ae24714de11783e9/anf-impact-assessment-third-year_v5.pdf
Brinster, C. J., Escousse, G. T., Rivera, P. A., Bazan, H., Parkerson, R., Leithead, C., Money, S. R., & Sternbergh, W. (2022). Drastic increase in hospital labor costs during the COVID-19 pandemic leads to sustained financial loss for an academic vascular surgery division. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 75(1), e17-e18. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jvs.2022.07.004
Duru, D. C., & Hammoud, M. S. (2022). Identifying effective retention strategies for front-line nurses. Nursing Management, 29(1), 17-24. https://doi.org/10.7748/nm.2021.e1971
Munro, C. L., & Hope, A. A. (2022). Improving nurse well-being: The need Is urgent and the time Is now. American Journal of Critical Care, 31(1), 4-6. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2022603
NSI. (2023). 2023 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from
https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf
Sigma Membership
Lambda Alpha at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cross-Sectional
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Workforce, Stress and Coping, COVID-19
Recommended Citation
Baek, Hyang and Trinkoff, Alison, "The Importance of Workplace Support on Nurse Well-Being and Intention to Stay During the Pandemic" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 141.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/141
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
The Importance of Workplace Support on Nurse Well-Being and Intention to Stay During the Pandemic
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
The detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare sector have further aggravated the ongoing nursing shortage. Consequently, many nurses have opted for early retirement or felt compelled to leave their positions, leading to increased turnover rates during the pandemic. In this light, more sustainable ways need to be explored for nurse retention instead of heavy reliance on temporary nursing agencies to address staffing shortages.
A secondary cross-sectional data analysis of 1063 nurses was conducted using the Nurse Worklife and Wellness Study data collected in 2020-21. Multiple logistic regression explored the moderating effect of workplace support on the relationship between well-being and intention to stay, controlling for covariates.
The sample averaged 49.4 years of age, with a mean tenure of 22.4 years in nursing. While 74.5% intended to stay in their current job, influenced by factors such as full-time employment, sufficient salary, and younger age, higher nurses’ well-being was significantly related to higher odds of intention to stay (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 2.06). Likewise, those reporting more workplace support were over twice as likely to intend to stay (aOR = 2.40). The positive relationship between well-being and intention to stay also increased when workplace support increased (aOR = 1.50).
The study shows the critical role of workplace support in enhancing nurse retention during crises such as the pandemic, when nurses had increased stress from added workloads, uncertainty about infection, exposures. In addition, retention compensation strategies are recommended, including bonuses and surge pay.
Description
The COVID-19 pandemic increased nurse turnover, emphasizing the need for workplace support to retain resilient nurses. Aligned with it, our study found that one-quarter of the nurses did not intend to stay at their jobs next year. However, higher well-being and workplace support were significantly related to nurses' intention to stay. Notably, the positive relationship between well-being and retention strengthened with increased workplace support, underscoring its vital role in nurse retention.