An Exploration of Turnover Intentions of Substance Abuse Treatment RNs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nurses working in many different settings. As they were frequently the last personnel left at the frontline during COVID-19, nurses’ experiences provide distinctive narratives in the alcohol and other drug treatment workforce. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses working in a substance abuse treatment setting have experienced significantly increased stressors, including fear and anxiety, the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and a lack of workforce sustainability. Therefore, this generic qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of nurses working in a substance abuse treatment program on the barriers in their workforce that influence their turnover intentions. Guided by the job embeddedness theory, data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 10 registered nurses in a substance abuse treatment setting. The participants were asked the same open-ended questions, the interviews were recorded and transcribed. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s six steps. The six main themes identified were: (a) stress from adapting to safety protocols, (b) the transition to remote work, (c) fear of the COVID-19 virus, (d) the emotional toll of the virus, (e) the importance of organizational support and resources, and (f) the significance of organizational training. This study is significant because it not only bridges the identified gap in the literature that highlights the limited research that has been conducted on this topic, but it also could provide information to substance abuse treatment facilities, registered nurses, and other healthcare professionals on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected registered nurses working in such settings.