A study into the reasons leading to healthcare professionals leaving their career and possibly South Africa

Abstract

The movement of nursing professionals from the public sector to the private sector, and from the private sector to foreign countries severely impact on the ability of developing countries to meet their domestic health care needs. In South Africa, the public health care system is facing serious human resource constraints, due to this migration. There simply aren’t enough experienced nurses to manage the escalating health care service consumption caused by factors such as population growth, increased burden of disease, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and decreased training of nursing personnel.

A staggering 37 801 doctor and nurse posts are vacant in public hospitals and clinics (Kahn, 2008). Unless improved human resource management strategies are implemented urgently, the migration of health care workers from especially public service health institutions in South Africa will seriously hamper implementation of the stated health care reform strategy. This study investigates the reasons why South African nurses are leaving the public and private health sector, or their profession, or even the country as a whole.

Based on the results of a survey of 67 nurses in the private and public health sectors in the northern Kwazulu Natal area, the study found that unfavorable working conditions together with low levels of job satisfaction caused by perceived reasons such as insufficient salaries, limited career advancement, ineffective management, excessive workload and safety concerns led to this state of job satisfaction. Most of the drivers responsible for this exodus can be attributed to the real or perceived deterioration in socio-political factors.

The recommendations for the health care sector in South Africa are; • Review nurses salaries annually – not only during restructuring or crisis situations. • Ensure that nurse’s remuneration packages are competitive with those of similar professions. • Pay nurses incentives for working unsocial hours. • Pay nurses bonuses for acquiring additional qualifications. • Pay nurses who work late shifts additional allowances. • Train nursing managers. • Provide training and education opportunities for nursing staff. • Respect should be shown by managers, physicians and colleagues. • Improve the workplace environment and working conditions of nursing staff. • Improve overall morale by rewarding excellence and treating nurses with respect and dignity.