Staying or straying? Early-career nurses’ decisions to remain in clinical practice: A phenomenological study

IF 3.7 2区医学 Q1 NURSING

Nursing Outlook Pub Date : 2025-10-15 DOI:10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102559

Sayed Ibrahim Ali PhD , Mostafa Shaban PhD

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Abstract

Background

Early-career nurses are vital to healthcare systems but experience high attrition within the first five years of practice. Limited qualitative research has explored the lived experiences shaping their decisions to remain in or leave bedside roles.

Purpose

This study explored how early-career nurses interpret and navigate their decisions to stay in or consider leaving clinical practice.

Methods

A descriptive phenomenological design was employed. Semi-structured interviews with 21 nurses (<5 years’ experience) from a Saudi university hospital were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Trustworthiness was ensured through member checking and triangulation.

Discussion

Four themes emerged: wrestling with reality, seeking belonging and recognition, balancing passion and exhaustion, and staying through meaning or straying through neglect. Emotional and relational factors outweighed financial motivations.

Conclusion

Retention strategies should emphasize mentorship, recognition, and supportive career pathways to sustain early-career nurses and strengthen workforce stability.

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留下来还是流浪？早期职业护士留在临床实践的决定：一项现象学研究。

背景：早期职业护士对医疗保健系统至关重要，但在前五年的实践中经历了高流失率。有限的定性研究探索了影响他们决定留在或离开床边角色的生活经历。目的：本研究探讨早期职业护士如何解释和导航他们留在或考虑离开临床实践的决定。方法：采用描述现象学设计。对21名护士进行半结构化访谈（讨论：出现了四个主题：与现实搏斗，寻求归属感和认可，平衡激情和疲惫，坚持意义或因忽视而迷失方向。）情感和关系因素超过了经济动机。结论：保留策略应强调指导、认可和支持性职业路径，以维持早期职业护士并加强劳动力稳定性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nursing Outlook 医学-护理

CiteScore

6.20

自引率

7.00%

发文量

109

审稿时长

25 days

期刊介绍： Nursing Outlook, a bimonthly journal, provides innovative ideas for nursing leaders through peer-reviewed articles and timely reports. Each issue examines current issues and trends in nursing practice, education, and research, offering progressive solutions to the challenges facing the profession. Nursing Outlook is the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing and the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science and supports their mission to serve the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. The journal is included in MEDLINE, CINAHL and the Journal Citation Reports published by Clarivate Analytics.