Job satisfaction as a mediator between structural empowerment and intent-to-leave: A study of critical care nurses

Background: Nurse turnover is an issue that impacts a hospital's financial resources and the quality of patient care. There is a need to discover what actions can be taken to improve nurse retention. Objective: Nurses’ job satisfaction has been shown to improve organizational outcomes, such as nurses’ retention. The objective of this study is to examines the relationship between intent to leave, job satisfaction and structural empowerment (SE), providing a theoretical basis for further research. Methods: A convenience sample of 83 critical care nurses, recruited from two Facebook groups and the AACN website. The nurses completed a survey that used three tools; Conditions of Work Effectiveness II (CWEQ II), Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), and Turnover Intention (TIS-6) to address 4 hypotheses to determine the relationship of the three constructs. Results: Findings indicated that SE was not significantly related to intent-to-leave; SE was positively related to job satisfaction (β = 0.760, p < 0.01), and job satisfaction was negatively related to Intent-to-leave (β = −0.610, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The research provided a theoretical framework for further research on SE and its importance in improving job satisfaction and reducing turnover in critical nurse.