Further examination of predictors of turnover intention among mental health professionals

We examined four occupations (mental health nurses, social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists), each represented through a large sample in multiple settings, all within one large healthcare network with complex patients. Our contribution is finding additional predictors (supervisory support, emotional exhaustion) of job satisfaction/turnover intention. What are the implications for practice? Organizations can consider using culture change initiatives to increase civility at work; this includes leadership support and role modelling of workplace behaviours. Leaders should monitor staffing levels and high workloads to pre‐empt emotional exhaustion, which predicts turnover. Hiring and training supervisors should involve not only technical expertise, but also ‘soft skills’ necessary for creating civil and supportive work environments. Leaders and managers should use employee feedback data (e.g. organizational surveys) to learn about the workplace environments, and address areas of employees’ concern. AbstractIntroductionGiven the global shortage of mental health professionals, high turnover rates within this workforce are concerning. We used United States of America Veterans Health Administration data to add to the limited knowledge about this topic.AimWe examined predictors of turnover intention, or an employee's cognitive withdrawal from their job, in a large sample of direct care mental health professionals, separating among occupations to increase the prag...
Source: Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research