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ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the deterioration of nurses’ working conditions and a growing global nursing shortage. Little is known about the factors, strategies and interventions that could improve nurse retention in the peri- and post-COVID-19 period. An improved understanding of strategies that support and retain nurses will provide a foundation for developing informed approaches to sustaining the nursing workforce. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate and describe the (1) factors associated with nurse retention, (2) strategies to support nurse retention and (3) interventions that have been tested to support nurse retention, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignScoping review.Data sourcesThis scoping review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Scopus databases were searched on 17 April 2024. The search was limited to a publication date of ‘2019 to present’.Eligibility criteriaQualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods and grey literature studies of nurses (Registered Nurse (RN), Licenced Practical Nurse (LPN), Registered Practical Nurse (RPN), Publlic Health Nurse (PHN), including factors, strategies and/or interventions to support nurse retention in the peri- and post-COVID-19 period in English (or translated into English), were included. Systematic reviews, scoping reviews and meta-syntheses were excluded, but their reference lists were hand-screened for suitable studies.Data extraction and synthesisThe following data items were extracted: title, journal, authors, year of publication, country of publication, setting, population (n=), factors that mitigate intent to leave (or other retention measure), strategies to address nurse retention, interventions that address nurse retention, tools that measure retention/turnover intention, retention rates and/or scores. Data were evaluated for quality and synthesised qualitatively to map the current available evidence.ResultsOur search identified 130 studies for inclusion in the analysis. The majority measured some aspect of nurse retention. A number of factors were identified as impacting nurse retention including nurse demographics, safe staffing and work environments, psychological well-being and COVID-19-specific impacts. Nurse retention strategies included ensuring safe flexible staffing and quality work environments, enhancing organisational mental health and wellness supports, improved leadership and communication, more professional development and mentorship opportunities, and better compensation and incentives. Only nine interventions that address nurse retention were identified.ConclusionsGiven the importance of nurse retention for a variety of key outcomes, it is imperative that nursing leadership, healthcare organisations and governments work to develop and test interventions that address nurse retention.

IntroductionThe pandemic has highlighted a worsening of nurses’ working conditions and a global nursing shortage. Little is known about the factors, strategies and interventions that improve nurse retention in the peri-COVID and post-COVID time period. An improved understanding of approaches implemented to support and retain nurses will provide a blueprint for sustaining the nursing workforce. The objectives of this scoping review are to investigate and describe the following: (a) factors associated with nurse retention; (b) strategies suggested to support nurse retention and (c) interventions trialled to support nurse retention, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods and analysisMedline, Embase, CINAHL and Scopus will be searched. The included studies will be qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods and grey literature studies of nurses including factors, strategies and/or interventions to support nurse retention in the peri-COVID and post-COVID time period (2019 to present) that are in English or can be translated into English. The excluded studies will be those that focus on nurse managers, educators, students or those in advanced practice roles and studies where the population cannot be segmented to identify which data came from nurses. Systematic, scoping reviews and meta-syntheses will be excluded, but their reference lists will be hand-screened for suitable studies. Data will be evaluated for quality and synthesised qualitatively to map the current evidence available. The relevant studies will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.Ethics and disseminationApproval for the broader research study, including this scoping review, has been obtained from the university health sciences research board (protocol #00042510). All data for this scoping review will be collected from published literature, and findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences.Trial registration numberThe protocol was registered on Open Science Framework (4 April 2024) https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/XWH45.

Background: New graduate nurses (NGNs) are a vital resource to the nursing workforce given the forecasted staffing trends. NGNs face complex work environments in addition to the challenges inherent in transitioning to practice that shape their initial work experiences. The mental health (MH) practice setting, in particular, has been under-examined with respect to NGNs’ perceptions of the work environment (WE), as have work outcomes.Objectives: This study: 1) identified the perceptions of NGNs working in a MH WE; 2) explored their perceptions of MH nursing culture; 3) determined the extent to which NGNs in MH settings experience job satisfaction (JS), burnout (BO) and turnover intention (TI), and 4) examined whether relationships exist between the MH WE and work outcomes.Methods: A multi-method research design was undertaken with NGNs practicing in MH settings in Ontario, Canada and included the use of a survey of 165 NGNs and interviews with a sample of 15 participants. Nurses working in MH settings with three-years or less of experience were recruited from the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) registry.Results: Quantitative and qualitative data were considered independently and also triangulated. Survey data found that NGN working in MH settings perceive the quality of the WE to be favourable, except their participation in the internal governance. JS was insignificant as an explanatory variable relating to TI. Levels of JS, BO and TI were all deemed to be of concern for NGNs. Moreover, nursing WE was found to contribute significantly to said outcomes. Qualitative findings offered further context with themes emerging addressing the rewards/challenges related to caring for patients, such as patient aggression, along with factors in the WE that impact the development of nurse outcomes.Significance: This study resulted in an improved understanding of the WE in MH settings from the lens of NGNs, providing important context regarding what shapes their experience of undesirable work outcomes. These insights and NGN views on MHN facilitates nurse leaders’ understanding of what is needed for NGNs to survive and thrive in a MH practice setting. Strengthening this knowledge will help to support and sustain the MH nursing workforce.