Professional Quality of Life and Turnover Intention in Forensic Nurse Program Coordinators: Implications to Forensic Nurse Workforce Development.

BACKGROUND: Significant barriers to forensic nurse workforce development exist, affecting patient care access. Retention of forensic nurses is a persistent problem, and turnover of forensic nurses can be attributed to many factors related to professional quality of life, including compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS).

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the effect of an educational session on the topic of professional quality of life and strategies for mitigating the impact of stressors within the forensic nurse role on Professional Quality of Life Scale-5 and Turnover Intention Scale-6.

METHODS: A convenience sample of forensic nurse program coordinators was surveyed using a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental survey design. Correlation between professional quality of life indicators and turnover intention was explored.

RESULTS: Cohort (n = 38) preintervention CS levels were average to high (mean = 41.42), BO levels were average to low (mean = 22.53), and STS levels were average to low (mean = 22.89). Statistically significant positive correlations were noted between each Professional Quality of Life Scale indicator and turnover intention (CS: r = 0.59, p < 0.0001; BO: r = 0.98, p < 0.0000; STS: r = 0.67, p < 0.0000). A statistically significant decrease in BO level (α = 0.05, p = 0.0454) was noted postintervention.

IMPLICATIONS: BO and STS had a strong positive correlation to turnover intention. BO levels decreased to a significant degree when reassessed 3 months after the educational intervention. Increased awareness of the impact of CS, BO, and STS could decrease BO in forensic nurses with potential reduction in turnover.