Effects of organizational commitment, job satisfaction and workplace violence on turnover intention of emergency nurses: A cross‐sectional study

Aims To describe turnover intention of emergency nurses and clarify the effects of organizational commitment, job satisfaction and workplace violence on turnover intention. Background Research has showed the predictors of turnover intention differed among nurses of different specialties. However, research on turnover intention has mostly focused on general nurses rather than emergency nurses. Design A descriptive, cross‐sectional study was conducted. Methods A self‐administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 415 emergency nurses in Beijing, China, using convenience sampling. Path analysis was used to test the relationships between organizational commitment, job satisfaction, workplace violence and turnover intention. Results Most emergency nurses (90.2%) had a high level or very high level of turnover intention. Contrary to previous studies, organizational commitment had a significant direct positive effect on workplace violence. It also had a direct positive effect on job satisfaction and a negative effect on turnover intention. Workplace violence had a negative effect on job satisfaction and a positive effect on turnover intention. Job satisfaction had a direct negative effect on turnover intention. Conclusion To reduce turnover intention in the emergency department, measures should be taken to reduce workplace violence and increase nurses' job satisfaction, especially those with high organizational commitment. What is already known about the topic? High turnover rates among nurses have become an internationally pervading problem. Nurses in the emergency department (ED) are more likely to leave their jobs because of the special characteristics of the ED. Many researchers have studied the antecedents of nurses' turnover intention, such as job satisfaction and organizational commitment, to better understand its causes and, consequently, reduce nurses' turnover and so on. Research has showed that the predictors of turnover intention differ among nurses of different specialties. However, research on turnover intention has mostly focused on general nurses. What this paper adds? Contrary to previous studies, this study showed organizational commitment had a direct positive effect on workplace violence (WPV). WPV played a suppressive role not only in the relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction but also in organizational commitment and turnover intention. The implications of this paper: This paper provides a new perspecti