Nurse retention in rural United States: A cluster analytic approach

This study explores the factors that influence a nurse's choice to continue working in a rural area as compared to those working or commuting to urban areas. The current and predicted nursing shortage tends to have disproportionate effects in rural areas. An understanding of how nurses make the choice of which type of environment to work in is critical to addressing this shortage. A comprehensive literature review suggested a number of factors worthy of investigation, and these were assessed through six focus groups and 1046 usable surveys. Results produced four distinct clusters: those who wish to keep their current job and stay in the nursing profession (52%), those who wish to leave their current job but stay in the profession (30%), those who are ambivalent about their current job and the profession (13%), and those who wish to leave their current job and the profession (5%). Findings from this study suggest that the decision to continue working in a rural area is dependent on the altruistic nature of the nurse and job, job satisfaction, stress, and value congruence. This illustrates that rural health providers can increase retention by further aiding their employees and increasing job satisfaction while reducing stress.