Effects of grit, calling, and resilience on the retention intention of general hospital nurses.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the influence of personal factors such as grit, calling, and resilience on nurses' retention intention in South Korean general hospitals.

BACKGROUND: The global shortage and high turnover rate of nurses have become significant concerns with no clear solutions for increasing retention.

INTRODUCTION: Determining the factors related to the f general hospital nurses and retention intention is important for solving the problem of inadequate nursing personnel and improving the quality of nursing services.

METHODS: This study was a descriptive survey of 221 nurses working at a general hospital in South Korea from July 2021 to February 2022. Data were collected using self-reported online questionnaires, with measurement tools focusing on grit, calling, resilience, and retention intention. The STROBE checklist was used for reporting this study.

RESULTS: The average retention intention score was 5.35 ± 1.52 out of 8 points. Significant correlations were found between retention intention and grit, calling, and resilience. The factors influencing retention intention were job satisfaction, calling, marital status, and total career length, explaining 31.9% of the variance.

CONCLUSIONS: To enhance nurses' intention to remain at general hospitals, their job satisfaction and sense of a calling should be improved. Further research should be conducted to identify factors that influence retention intention, particularly among groups with low job retention, with consideration of individual characteristics that might affect retention intention.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Increasing nurses' retention intention would alleviate the nursing shortage, help hospitals retain competent nurses, reduce turnover-related costs, and improve organizational efficiency. Resolving the nursing shortage is critical for improving patient safety and nursing service quality at general hospitals.