Retention and turnover among migrant nurses: A scoping review

Aim: To map and explore primary research about factors related to retention, turnover\nand turnover intention among migrant nurses.\nBackground: Understanding retention and turnover amongmigrant nurses is essential,\nespecially in the context of nursing shortage. There is a range of factors motivating nurses\nto emigrate; however, factors related to retention and turnover amongmigrant nurses in\nthe host country are unclear.\nMethods: This review utilised Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework for\nscoping reviews, and is reported with the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Four electronic\ndatabases were searched—CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest and PubMed—to identify\nprimary research published between January 2000 and May 2022. Titles and abstracts\nwere reviewed against the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then full-text versions\nwere reviewed. Data extracted were summarised, and results synthesised.\nResults: Fifteen studies were included, with studies mainly from the Middle East, the\nUnited Kingdom and the United States. Personal, organisational, financial, political and\nenvironmental factors were found to influence retention and turnover among migrant\nnurses.\nConclusion: Retention and turnover rates among migrant nurses vary among host\ncountries. The factors identified are related to each other; hence, retention and turnover\namong migrant nurses are best understood in the context of their source country, host\ncountry and individual circumstances.