Voluntary turnover among nurses working in Kuwaiti hospitals

Background  Voluntary turnover rates are high among staff nurses working in Kuwaiti hospitals. It is a major problem, costly and it is presumed to impact on the quality of nursing care delivered. Aims  The two aims of this study were to (1) find out if nurses’ resignations in Kuwaiti hospitals could be ascribed to failure in the recruitment process and (2) examine the feelings of nurses who resigned. Methods  Two sets of exit interviews with 60 nurses who had resigned were conducted. Results  No evidence emerged that any false information or misleading information was provided except for the salary adjustments. The real insight lay in what might not have been said in the recruitment interviews. While feelings of discontent emerged in the interviews relating to the loss of income, the greatest source of complaint related to the failure of managers to solve the evident problems. Conclusions  High rates of voluntary turnover require more attention from administrators and policy makers because of its potential consequences in terms of the quality of nursing care delivered. Implications for nursing management  This paper identifies many causes of nurses’ voluntary turnover. It also shows the need for nursing managers to explore these causes and suggests successful strategies for recruitment and retention practices and policies.