Retirement-age nurse focus groups offer retention insights

Hospitals can retain nurses close to retirement age if they offer more flexible scheduling and work roles, according to a study. Published in the Journal of Nursing Administration December issue, the qualitative study included eight focus groups of 49 older nurse participants from four Connecticut hospitals. A passion for patient care was the overwhelming factor keeping experienced nurses in the workforce, but the physical demands of the job, 12-hour shifts, and a lack of flexible scheduling contributed to decisions to retire. They expressed a desire for hospitals to optimize opportunities for experienced nurses to mentor novice nurses without assigning them to patients and to help patients and families transition to the home.