Effects of Lack of Workplace Relationships on Long-term Care Nurses
Abstract
As baby boomers reach their 80s, there may not be enough people to care for them, because this segment of the population is expected to grow by 44%. The voluntary turnover of newly licensed Registered Nurses (RNs) annually costs organizations approximately $856 million and between $1.4 and $2.1 billion for the United States. In addition to the costs, the quality of patient care is negatively impacted. The purpose of this study was to address this issue with nurse turnover with a focus on RNs employed within residential long-term care settings across the United States. Social exchange theory was used as the theoretical framework for the study's design and execution, which included a phenomenological research design. Data were collected through phone interview sessions and analyzed using the Husserl approach. Data were coded, categorized, and explored for themes. The results from this study showed that lack of workplace relationship increased RNs' emotional exhaustion, affective commitment, and intent to leave. A key finding also indicated that programs designed the enable long-term care RNs' ability to take on leadership roles were not available. Social implications of this study include information policy makers and nursing administrators can use to restructure working environments that will improve nurse stability and promote higher continuity of care.
