Research in Community and Public Health Nursing (지역사회간호학회지)

Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing (한국지역사회간호학회)
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The Retention Factors among Nurses in Rural and Remote Areas: Lessons from the Community Health Practitioners in South Korea

  • Park, Hyejin (Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University School of Public Health) ;
  • June, Kyung Ja (Department of Nursing, Soonchunhyang University)
  • Received : 2022.03.26
  • Accepted : 2022.07.18
  • Published : 2022.09.30
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Abstract

Purpose: This study analyzed the retention factors of Korean community health practitioners who sustained over 20 years based on a multi-dimensional framework. This study suggests global implications for nurses working in rural or remote areas, even during a worldwide pandemic. Methods: The participants were 16 Korean community health practitioners who worked in rural or remote locations for over 20 years. This study identified nurses' key retention factors contributing to long service in rural and remote areas. This is a qualitative study based on the narrative method and analysis was conducted using grounded theory. A semi-structured questionnaire was conducted based on the following: the life flow of the participants' first experience, episodes during the work experience, and reflections on the past 20 years. Results: First, personal 'financial needs' and 'callings' were motivation-related causal conditions. The adaptation of environment-work-community was the contextual condition leading to intervening conditions, building coping strategies by encountering a lifetime crisis. The consequences of 'transition' and 'maturation' naturally occurred with chronological changes. The unique factors were related to the 'external changes' in the Korean primary health system, which improved the participants' social status and welfare. Conclusion: Considering multi-dimensional retention factors was critical, including chronological (i.e., historical changes) and external factors (i.e., healthcare systems), to be supportive synchronously for rural nurses. Without this, the individuals working in the rural areas could be victimized by insecurity and self-commitment. Furthermore, considering the global pandemic, the retention of nurses is crucial to prevent the severity of isolation in rural and remote areas.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank all the Community Health Practitioners who, despite their busy schedules, gave time to participate in this study. We would also like to thank the Community Health Practitioner Association, which helped recruit participants for this study. HP would like to thank Dr. CY Kim, Dr. SH Yoo, and Dr. BH Cho for their guidance during the master's thesis process.

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