| Research and the media continue to report on the current and future nurse anesthetist shortage in the United States. As the aging population continues to grow, health care institutions are struggling to solve this health care emergency. A review of the current literature reveals both intrinsic and extrinsic factors of the work milieu as being influential in an organization's ability to retain nurse anesthetists. The purpose of this study was to explore what nursing career criteria must be met by employers in order to retain nurse anesthetists in the profession. Surveys were distributed to all Certified Registered Nurses Anesthetists (CRNAs) in the Rural Eastern Region of the State of Kentucky to ascertain what employment or employer characteristics or incentives favor nurse anesthetist retention, and which characteristics are viewed as unfavorable, or not important to a nurse anesthetist in deciding to remain with a current employer or to seek employment elsewhere. |
