Research Team
Diane Doran, RN, PhD, FCAHS
Dan Laporte, Research Manager, NHSRU
Autumn Chilcote, Research Officer, NHSRU
Paul Rizk, Research Officer, NHSRU
Ping Zou, Research Assistant, NHSRU

Executive Summary

In an effort to stem the loss of Ontario’s late career nurses, in 2004 the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) introduced the Late Career Nurse Initiative (LCNI). This initiative involved providing funding to hospitals and long-term care homes for salary or benefits replacement costs for late career nurses (Registered Nurse, Registered Practical Nurse and Nurse Practitioners who are aged 55 and over) participating in less physically demanding nursing roles for 20% of their working time.

The current study was developed to systematically evaluate the impact of the MOHLTC’s LCNI on the retention of late career nurses in Ontario, as well as explore the degree to which it is impacting nurses’ job satisfaction and feelings of organizational commitment. In addition to these primary objectives, the study explores the secondary benefits of the Initiative, such as capacity building and its impact on patient care.

The specific objectives of the study currently underway at the NHSRU are to:

1. Determine the extent to which the LCNI has had an impact on retention rates of late career nurses;
2. Evaluate the MOHLTC’s Retention Performance Target formula for assessing the success of organizations’ efforts to retain nurses;
3. Determine the extent to which the LCNI has had an impact of the job satisfaction, autonomy, control over the work environment, and burnout of late career nurses;
4. Describe the secondary impacts of the LCNI on organizations (i.e., secondary benefits and consequences);
5. Determine which specific characteristics of late career proposals are associated with improved retention rates.

To date, researchers have been in contact with 90 organizations that have participated in the LCNI, 67 of which have agreed to contribute data to the study. Currently in the first phase of the evaluation, the NHSRU has engaged Nurse Leaders throughout Ontario in semi-structured interviews to obtain their impressions of the initiative and assess the perceived success of the LCNI. Interview participants have also been asked to characterize the components of a successful LCNI proposal. The current report reflects the preliminary analyses of these interviews.

Key Messages

Successes. Preliminary analysis of the interview data indicates that organizations support the initiative and are reporting successful retention of Late Career Nurses. Nurses Managers suggested that the programs offering opportunities for mentorship, programs focusing on patient care, or those that were specifically designed for the Late Career Nurse participants resulted in higher levels of job satisfaction and enhanced practice experience of Late Career Nurses. Nurse Managers also identified secondary benefits of participation in the LCNI, including improved clinical outcomes with patients and a range of organizational benefits from improvements in organizational culture (e.g. reputation as a good employer, values-driven organization) to completion of important special projects.

Concerns over time frame. Concern has been expressed about the insufficient time provided to organizations to put their programs in place and utilize the LCNI funding, especially the announcement of funding in late December with a requirement to fulfill program goals by March. Participants reported that the short timeframe allotted for projects was problematic due to scheduling difficulties and insufficient time to roll-out proposed projects in order to use the funds offered. Nurse Managers suggested that the funding period of January through March was further complicated by winter holidays combined with the increased needs of patients during cold and flu season.

Response to Retention Performance Target. Participants conveyed that they had little understanding of the purpose or meaning behind the Retention Performance Target (RPT). Recurrent themes appearing in the interview data included difficulty in completing the form, lack of comprehension of the calculations, and little connection between the Target and the initiative (e.g., retention is not the only relevant outcome to organizations, as other indicators of success, such as capacity building and improved patient outcomes are not captured by the RPT). Nurse Managers also expressed that they would benefit from a greater understanding of the RPT formula, and would also like to receive feedback on whether the form has been completed correctly, as well as feedback related to how the measure is used after the fact or compared with other participating sites.

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