RESEARCH PAPER Turnover rate among registered nurses in Jordanian hospitals: An exploratory study Yaseen A Hayajneh RN PhD Chairman, Health Services Administration Department, College of Medicine, and Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan Raeda F AbuAlRub RN PhD Associate Professor, College of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan Aymen Z Athamneh RN MSN Nurse Manager, CCU, King Abdullah University Hospital, Irbid, Jordan Ibtihal K Almakhzoomy RN PhD Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan Accepted for publication February 2008 Hayajneh YA, AbuAlRub RF, Athamneh AZ, Almakhzoomy IK. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2009; 15: 303–310 Turnover rate among registered nurses in Jordanian hospitals: An exploratory study The aim of this study is to (i) determine the turnover rate among registered nurses in Jordanian hospitals; and (ii) compare the turnover rate between (a) male and female registered nurses; (b) northern, middle and southern regions; (c) public, private and university hospitals; (d) rural and urban hospitals; and (e) general and specialized hospitals. A descriptive, cross-sectional retrospective survey design was used. A structured interview method was utilized to collect data. A proportional random sample of 25% of the total number of Jordanian hospitals was taken. The results showed that the overall turnover rate was 36.6%. There were variations according to geographical region, health sector and place of residence. Turnover among registered nurses in Jordanian hospitals is considered a problem that requires effective strategies to deal with. Further research is required to identify the causes, and to explain the differences in the turnover rates according to the different study variables. Key words: hospitals, Jordan, nurses, retrospective survey, turnover. INTRODUCTION Employee turnover continues to be an important chal- lenge facing health-care systems. Turnover affects the nursing profession globally and its impact varies among nurses in different positions and different settings. 1 Turn- over is defined as voluntarily terminating one’s position in one setting and moving to another, changing employment status in the same setting, or completely leaving the pro- fession to another. 2,3 Turnover leads to the loss of human capital as nurses leave, and the lost productivity associated with new nurses being oriented. 4 High rates of turnover weaken the structure of nursing systems and impede the proper implementation of nursing processes and procedures, thus impact nursing systems’ Correspondence: Raeda F. AbuAlRub, Associate Professor, College of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, PO Box 1894, Irbid, Jordan. Email: raeda71@yahoo.com International Journal of Nursing Practice 2009; 15: 303–310 doi:10.1111/j.1440-172X.2009.01758.x © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd