Background: Many nurses are leaving for various
destinations and leaving intention was found to be the
immediate precursor for actual turnover, but studies
examining the different forms of leaving intention (unit,
hospital, country, and profession) and exit destinations
are scarce.
Objectives: To determine the different forms of nurses’
leaving intention (i.e., leaving the unit, hospital, country,
and profession), exit destinations and associations of
demographic variables on the different forms of leaving
intention and exit destinations.
Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional survey.
Private hospital nurses in the Peninsular Malaysia were
the study population and a total of 942 (73% response
rate) nurses participated in the study. A self-reported
questionnaire was used for data collection.
Results: The results revealed that intention of leaving
the organisation (M = 2.81, SD = 1.33) was the
highest and followed by intention of leaving the unit
(M = 2.54, SD = 1.31). In terms of exit destinations,
advancing nursing qualification (M = 2.95, SD = 1.31)
and practising nursing in another country (M = 2.55,
SD = 1.31) were the most preferred exit destinations
among the nurses.
Conclusions: Nursing managers play a significant role in
retaining nurses within the units and organisations. The
findings on nurses’ exit destinations are crucial because
they serve as the direction for nurses’ retention strategies
which include professional development opportunities
through training, education and staff mobility.