Addressing the turnover issue among new nurses from a generational viewpoint ME ´ LANIE LAVOIE-TREMBLAY PhD, RN 1 , LINDA O’BRIEN-PALLAS PhD, RN 2 , CE ´ LINE GE ´ LINAS PhD, RN 3 , NICOLE DESFORGES BSc 4 and CAROLINE MARCHIONNI MSc Admin, RN 4 1 Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, McGill University, QC and Researcher at the Research Center, Fernand Seguin Hopital Louis-H Lafontaine, QC, 2 Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, ON, 3 Post-Doctoral Fellow, School of Nursing, McGill University, QC and 4 Research Assistant, School of Nursing, McGill University, QC, Canada Introduction Labour shortages in nursing have been forecast for several years by human resource planners in health care (OÕBrien-Pallas et al. 2003, Ministe `re de la Sante ´ et des Services sociaux MSSS 2003). In the United States in 2000, the national supply of full-time equivalent registered nurses was estimated at 1.89 million, while the demand was estimated at 2 million, a shortage of 110 000 nurses, or 6%. By 2020, the shortage is projected to grow to an estimated 808 400 nurses, or 29%. This shortage is not just in hospitals, but also in nursing homes, which project that they will need 66% more RNs in 2020 based on 1991 data (Gutie ´rrez & Ranji 2005). In Canada, the shortfall of nurses was quantified at approximately 78 000 nurses by 2011, (Canadian Nurses Associa- tion, CNA 2002), and Australia projects a shortage of 40 000 nurses by 2010 (Australian Health Ministers Conference 2004). Correspondence Me ´lanie Lavoie-Tremblay School of Nursing McGill University 3506 University Street Montre ´al, QC Canada H3A 2A7 E-mail: melanie.lavoie-tremblay@ mcgill.ca LAVOIE-TREMBLAY M., O’BRIEN-PALLAS L., GE ´ LINAS C., DESFORGES N. & MARCHIONNI C. (2008) Journal of Nursing Management 16, 724–733 Addressing the turnover issue among new nurses from a generational viewpoint Aim To investigate the relationship between dimensions of the psychosocial work environment and the intent to quit among a new generation of nurses. Background As a new generation of nurses enters the workforce, we know little about their perception of their current work environment and its impact on their intent to stay. Method A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1002 nurses. Results The nurses who intended to quit their positions perceived a significant effort/reward imbalance as well as a lack of social support. The nurses who intended to quit the profession perceived a significant effort/reward imbalance, high psy- chological demands and elevated job strain. Conclusion The balance between the level of effort expended and reward received plays an important role in young nursesÕ intent to leave. Implications for nursing managers Nurse Managers must offer Nexters, from the beginning of their career, a meaningful work and supportive environment. Without the efforts of the organization to improve the work environment and support nurses, this generation may not feel valued and move to another organization that will support them or another career that will offer fulfilment. Keywords: generation, retention, turnover, work environment, young nurses Accepted for publication: 19 September 2007 Journal of Nursing Management, 2008, 16, 724–733 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2934.2007.00828.x 724 ª 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd