The Attitudes Of Retiring Nurses From Hospitals With Different Levels On Retirement Planning

Objective:The purpose of this study is to explore the views of retiring nurses from hospitals with different levels on retirement plans,understand the willingness of retired nurses to continue to engage in nursing-related occupations after retirement,and analyze the differences between hospitals with different levels to provide a basis for guiding nurses to develop reasonable retirement plans and promote nurses retain.Methods:A descriptive qualitative study was employed.We selected the participants based on the largest difference sampling method.A total of 27 semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with retiring nurses recruited from a third-level hospital and a second-level hospital from April 2018 to September 2018.The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis with the help of qualitative analysis software Nvivo11.Results:By in-depth interview and comprehensive analysis of 27 retiring nurses(third-grade hospital: 15,second-grade hospital: 12),we found that the perceptions and attitudes of nurses on retirement plans are not identical.After in-depth analysis and refinement of the interviews,we formed the following three core themes of “the cognitive of retirement plan”,“the importance of retirement plan” and “the challenge of developing a retirement plans”.1.Seven minor themes of “the cognitive of retirement plan”.1)Most nurses from both hospitals had no prior knowledge of retirement planning;2)The nurses believed that retirement plans should include health management,financial plans,life arrangements,bridge employment and retirement decisions(some nurses are willing to continue their work after retirement,most of them tend to engage in nursing-related occupations.);3)A considerable disparity exists among nurses' views on the appropriate time for formulating a retirement plan: mainly for early start(5-20 years before retirement)and near retirement(1-2 years before retirement);4)Almost all the nurses from both hospitals believed that they would develop their retirement plans with their families and friends;5)Short-term planning;6)Plans based on individuality.2.Four minor themes of “the importance of retirement plan”.1)Irrelevance;2)Relevance.3.Five minor themes of “the challenge of developing a retirement plans”.1)Individual sense of worth;2)Capabilities;3)Physical health;4)Family demands(care needs and financial needs);5)Social environment and national policies.Several differences between the two hospitals were identified,including the factors that influence the nurses' awareness of retirement planning,the difficulty of finding jobs after retirement,and the appropriate time for developing retirement plans.Conclusions:The understanding and attitude of retiring nurses from hospitals with different levels on retirement plans are multifaceted,and many factors affect the formulation of retirement plans and the intention to retain.The retiring nurses' understanding and the level of activity of retirement plan are relatively poor.Most retiring nurses think the retirement planning is very important.Factors affecting retirement plans include personal,organizational and social factors.Nurses are willing to continue their work after retirement,especially in nursing-related occupations,but face certain challenges.There are differences in the attitudes of retiring nurses from hospitals with different levels.1.Policy makers and hospital administrators should strengthen the popularity of retirement planning knowledge and raise awareness of nurses on the importance of retirement planning;2.Identify the factors affecting the retirement plan,and strive to eliminate controllable factors and weaken uncontrollable factors,thereby promoting and guiding nurses to develop reasonable retirement plans and improve retirement life satisfaction;3.The nurses' retirement decision-making and employment intentions should be correctly evaluated,and corresponding measures should be taken to support and promote the employment of retiring nurses,create a good working environment,provide suitable jobs,and formulate corresponding compensation and management systems to promote their retention,thereby to alleviate the shortage of nurses and improve the quality and safety of care;4.Different levels of hospitals have different working environments,which may affect nurses' perceptions and attitudes toward retirement plans.Society and organizations should be aware of this problem and try to reduce this gap;5.Retirement is a dynamic process.Retirement plan is an indispensable part of the retirement process.In the future,longitudinal research should be further carried out to explore the dynamic changes of nurses' attitudes towards retirement plans at different stages,and to provide guidance for nurses at different stages in formulating retirement plans.6.In addition,the current research on nurse retirement plans is in its infancy,and in the future,further research should be conducted to construct a systematic theoretical model of nurse retirement plans.