Factors causing nursing turnover at four public hospitals within the Limpopo Sekhukhune District

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the factors causing voluntary nursing turnover (hereafter referred to as ‘turnover’) as manifested among professional nurses in four Sekhukhune District hospitals of the Limpopo Department of Health and Social Development. A qualitative study was done, using Lewin’s theory of institutional change, with job dissatisfaction as the primary construct. A proportional stratified sample of 270 professional nurses was obtained. Data was obtained through a semi-structured interview questionnaire by means of focus groups. The research findings indicate that factors such as poor working conditions, unhealthy relationships between managers and nursing staff, ineffectiveness of management support for training, and unsatisfactory performance appraisal and grievance handling as the main reasons causing turnover. These findings are consistent with predictions in the literature (literature control) that there are a number of driving forces contributing to turnover, and by identifying these forces through this empirical study in the health sector, can be classified as new knowledge in the extant turnover literature. Hence, this article contributes to the existing levels of scholarship by providing a more inclusive and integrated view of turnover in the health sector, enriching the broader Public Administration context. In addition, the findings do provide some insights and better understanding of turnover matters in Limpopo and may be expanded to other hospitals.