Health workers’ career satisfaction and intention to leave: The moderated moderation of burnout and gender

Globally, the shortage of health workers is posing challenges to healthcare delivery and the attainment of SDG 3. This study analyzes how career satisfaction influences health workers’ intention to leave. The study further argues that the effect of career satisfaction on intention to leave is moderated by burnout and this moderation is dependent on gender. Drawing on a theoretical framework underpinned by the conservation of resource (COR) theory, the relationships in this study are tested with primary data from self-administered questionnaires collected from 230 health workers using multi-stage sampling techniques. SPSS with Hayes Process Macro was employed to analyze the direct relationship, moderation, and moderated-moderation mechanisms. Consistent with expectations, findings indicate that career satisfaction negatively affects health workers’ intention to leave. Also, this study extends the COR theory by establishing that high levels of burnout exacerbate the negative relationship between career satisfaction and intention to leave. However, gender did not moderate the moderating role of burnout in the relationship between career satisfaction and intention to leave.