Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Health Services
Advisor
Pamm Kemp
Abstract
Medical laboratory professionals have faced more than 20 years of workforce shortages. The causes of these workforce shortages include poor retention of new professionals and an insufficient number of new graduates who enter the workforce. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the strategies that are used by managers in hospitals for the retention of laboratory professionals. The theoretical framework comprised Mobley’s theory of turnover and Porter’s organizational commitment theory. The research questions for this study addressed what managers perceived as the biggest challenges for the retention of laboratory professionals and what effective strategies they thought could help improve retention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted face to face or by telephone to collect data from a sample of 10 laboratory managers from 4 hospital settings in Georgia. Five themes emerged from analysis of the data collected. The key findings showed the need for laboratory managers to concentrate on job satisfaction on laboratory professionals because satisfied employees were more likely to be more committed to their job, and committed employees imply improved retention and low turnover. The study results may provide managers with new information and strategies to reduce turnover rates and improve the retention of laboratory professionals. This will help reduce the costs associated with recruiting, replacing, and training new employees, as well as contribute towards providing quality healthcare services to the community.
Recommended Citation
Ewane, Ambrose E., "An Exploratory Study to Identify Strategies for Retaining Laboratory Professionals in Hospital Setting" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 9115.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/9115
