Process from Employment to the Decision to Leave among Nurses who Left their First Workplace in the 2-3 Years after Graduation

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the process from employment to the decision to leave among nurses who left their first workplace in the 2-3 years after graduation and the factors that hindered continued employment. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted among nine such nurses. The data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results: The nurses who had left their workplace were worried about their work and interpersonal relationships at the workplace. Furthermore, despite having a “chronic desire to quit” their workplace, they worked more to “build a foundation for their career in nursing.” They made “the decision to leave the first workplace” 2-3 years after their graduation. Conclusions: The factors that hindered employment continuation were the junior nurses’ relationship as subordinates with senior nurses, the presence of the latter with whom they experienced difficulty working, and a lack of favorable experiences during collaborations with senior nurses. Junior nurses’ decision to resign was influenced by the following factors: awareness of their self-growth as a nurse, dissatisfaction with working hours, and discrepancy with the desired work environment. Workplace supervisors should recognize and respond to work and workplace relationship problems faced by nurses to coordinate relationship building efforts with senior nurses.