Measuring the job stickiness of community nurses in Ontario (2004–2010): Implications for policy and practice

OBJECTIVE: Utilize the concept of stickiness to examine the retention of community nurses across time and draw comparisons by subsector, nurse group and work status. METHODS: Secondary analysis of College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) registration database (2004-2010). Nurses' yearly registration records were linked to create a longitudinal database of nursing employment which was used to generate year-to-year stickiness figures. Analysis was carried out by sector/subsector of employment, nurse group and work status. RESULTS: Analysis revealed an active movement of nurses between the hospital and community sectors during the period of analysis, with a positive balance of 3002 nurses toward the latter. A wide variation in the stickiness of community subsectors of employment was noted, with those subsectors involving direct patient care and community visitation displaying relatively lower stickiness figures. Subsector stickiness increased with the offering of full-time jobs and the employment of Registered Nurses. CONCLUSION: Examining the working conditions and human resources management practices in the subsectors with lower stickiness, especially those involving patient care at home, and enhancing career stability of Registered Practical Nurses are priority issues. Decision-makers should support the offering of full-time jobs focusing attention on subsectors offering direct patient care in the community.