Available online 25 March 2024, 151787

Author links open overlay panel, , , , , , AbstractAim

This study explores nurses' experiences in migration for employment and professional abandonment in Barcelona (Spain).

Methods

Employing a mixed-design approach comprising 1) a qualitative descriptive phenomenological study, followed by 2) a subsequent cross-sectional study, 20 and 225 nurses participated in each study, respectively. Qualitative data, gathered through 4 focus group discussions, underwent inductive thematic analysis, following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines, while quantitative data were descriptively analyzed.

Findings

Three qualitative themes emerged: 1) Migration motives, such as improved job opportunities, permanent contracts, continuous training, and professional recognition; 2) Reasons for leaving or contemplating leaving the profession, including excessive workload, lack of recognition, limited development, and exhaustion; 3) Nurses' needs, encompassing more staffing, improved remuneration, permanent contracts, flexible schedules, greater autonomy, and career growth. The cross-sectional study revealed a 13.5 % professional abandonment rate at some point across all demographics and seniority levels. Migration trends varied by professional experience, with younger nurses seeking better conditions and opportunities elsewhere.

Conclusions

Multifactorial causes underlie job migration and professional abandonment, necessitating comprehensive interventions to improve nurses' working and professional conditions.

Section snippetsWhat is known about this topic?•

The global nurse shortage has become a critical concern.

•

Unsatisfactory working conditions affect nursing turnover rates.

•

Unemployment, precarious working conditions, and lack of professional development drive professional migration.

What this paper adds•

This study provides insights into nurses' experiences of quitting the profession and migrating to other countries.

•

The implications of this paper

•

The findings of this study could contribute to formulating healthcare policies to improve nurses' working conditions to

Aim

This study explores nurses' experiences in migration for employment and professional abandonment in Barcelona (Spain).

Study design

This study employed a mixed-design study consisting of two sequential phases. The first phase involved a qualitative descriptive phenomenological study (Giorgi, 2014), selected for its appropriateness in directly capturing the lived experiences associated with the study phenomenon. The second phase adopted a cross-sectional descriptive observational study.

Participants

For the qualitative

Findings

Twenty active registered nurses, comprising 3 men and 17 women, took part in the first phase (Table 3). The mean age of the participants was 37.6 years (ranging from 29 to 63 years), with an average nursing experience of 17 years (ranging from 3 to 33 years). Participants were distributed across different work settings: 11 in hospitals, 6 in community health or mental health centers, and 4 in universities (Table 4).

In the second phase, 225 nurses responded affirmatively to the survey questions

Discussion

The absence of adequate working and professional conditions aligned with nurses' expectations and professional opportunities contributes to nurse turnover and labor migration. The nurse participants cited reasons for leaving the profession, including excessive workload, limited professional recognition, inadequate financial remuneration commensurate with nurses' needs, lack of professional development, and emotional and physical exhaustion.

On the other hand, reasons they mention for relocating

Conclusion

The factors triggering nurse migration, abandonment, or the intention to leave the nursing profession demand a comprehensive and competent intervention. Improvements are required in both working conditions (nurse-patient ratio, financial remuneration, permanent contracts, flexible schedules, and shifts) and professional aspects (greater autonomy, professional development, practice in fields of expertise and interest, continuous training, and research). Finally, the personal conditions of the

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Paola Galbany-Estragués: Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project administration, Conceptualization. Miquel Àngel Giménez-Lajara: Writing – review & editing, Validation, Conceptualization. Glòria Jodar-Solà: Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis. Rocio Casañas: Writing – original draft, Methodology, Formal analysis. Maria Romeu-Labayen: Writing – review & editing, Resources, Methodology, Conceptualization. Encarnación Gomez-Gamboa: Writing – review &

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the support provided by the Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeres i Infermers de Barcelona (COIB) for their interest and support in carrying out this study, as well as the collaboration of the nurses who have been part of the focus groups.

References (33)S.-H. BaeAssociation of work schedules with nurse turnover: A cross-sectional national study

International Journal of Public Health

(2023)

V. Braun et al.Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis

Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health

(2019)

C.M. Campbell et al.Generational preferences in the nursing work environment: A dimensional concept analysis

Journal of Nursing Management

(2020)

E. Castro-Palaganas et al.An examination of the causes, consequences, and policy responses to the migration of highly trained health personnel from the Philippines: The high cost of living/leaving—A mixed method study

Human Resources for Health

(2017)

L.N. Dyrbye et al.A cross-sectional study exploring the relationship between burnout, absenteeism, and job performance among American nurses

BMC Nursing

(2019)

K. Gaalan et al.Factors predicting quality of nursing care among nurses in tertiary care hospitals in Mongolia

International Nursing Review

(2019)

View full text

© 2024 Published by Elsevier Inc.