Relationship between Nursing Professionalism, Internal Marketing, and Turnover Intention among Hospital Nurses

This descriptive study investigates nursing professionalism, internal marketing, and turnover intention among hospital nurses. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships among turnover intention, internal marketing (an internal factor of turnover intention), and nursing professionalism (an external factor of turnover intention). Subjects included nurses from a hospital located in Seoul and Chungbuk, and voluntary participation and confidentiality were explained to each subject who agreed to participate. Data were collected from a total of 270 undergraduate students using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18.0. Results indicated that the average score for hospital nurses’ nursing professionalism was 3.30 (out of 5), 2.58 for internal marketing, and 3.91 for turnover intention, respectively. Nursing professionalism differed significantly depending on age (F = 4.10, p = .007) and career length (F = 2.97, p = .032). Internal marketing also significantly differed depending on age (F = 3.58, p = .014), career length (F = 7.29, p < .001), and shift type (F = 3.43, p = .034). Additionally, there were significant differences in turnover intention depending on marital status (t = 2.21, p = .028), shift type (F = 6.39, p = .002), and position (F = 5.49, p = .005). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between nursing professionalism and internal marketing (r = .36, p < .001), and a negative correlation between internal marketing and turnover intention (r = -.28, p < .001). Nurses’ turnover intention is associated with internal marketing and nursing professionalism; hence, it is important to implement internal marketing tactics centered on preventing emotional fatigue and to employ strategies that encourage nursing professionalism.