Neonatal Nurses’ Intention to Stay in the NICU

• Main Author: Penn-Griffin, Carolyn
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2024
• Subjects: Health care management; Health sciences; Nursing
• ISBN: 9798383184455

Neonatal nursing leaders and national health care organizations within the United States are concerned about the recent shortage of skilled and experienced neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses that may reduce the quality of care delivered to NICU patients. NICU nurses are passionate about caring for premature and ill full-term infants and providing educational and emotional support for their parents, some NICU nurses remain in the NICU long-term, yet others contemplate leaving the specialty. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological research guided by Martin Fishbein and Ajezen’s theory of reasoned action was to explore the lived experiences of NICU nurses’ intention to stay in the NICU. Nine Registered nurses from various states across the United States were recruited using social media to take part in a semistructed interview conducted over Zoom. Thematic analysis of the manually transcribed interview data revealed four themes: (a) special calling and love for the babies, (b) patient acuity and daily responsibilities, (c) continuing education, (d) career promotion, and recognition. Microaggression and lack of administrative support were unexpected findings. This study may promote a positive social change by offering recommendations for retaining nurses in the NICU. Future qualitative studies might examine why nurses remain in the NICU to gain a broader understanding of some of the factors that predict the NICU nurse intent to stay.