Direct care nursing as a career destination

BACKGROUND: Intent to stay (ITS) is the best predictor of nurse turnover. Interventions aimed at combating turnover may be ineffective if they're developed without getting input from nurses to understand why they stay. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to understand the factors contributing to clinical nurses' ITS in an organization. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design used semistructured interviews with questioning grounded in the theoretical framework of clinical nurses' ITS. RNs were recruited from three hospitals from the same Magnet®-recognized health system in the urban Southeast US. RESULTS: A total of 18 clinical nurses were interviewed, and four major themes were identified: organizational culture, sense of belonging, leadership in action, and sustainability of bedside nursing. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating organizational culture, sense of belonging, leadership in action, and resources for direct care nursing will strengthen nurses' ITS and encourage nurses to pursue direct care nursing as a career destination.