A Qualitative Study of Millennial and Gen Z Nurse Turnover in the UK

(The GENEXIT Study)

You are being invited to take part in this research study that has a generational focus on nurse turnover in the UK. Kirsty Douglas, a PhD Student Researcher at the University of Edinburgh, is leading this research. Before you decide to take part it is important you understand why the research is being conducted and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully.

What Is The Purpose Of The Study?

The purpose of the study is to understand why individuals from Generations Y (or Millennials) and Z are leaving nursing in the UK, as this group makes up a significant number of those leaving their role in the NHS, as well from the nursing profession.

Why Have I Been Invited To Take Part?

You are invited to participate in this study because you meet the eligibility criteria for participation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Born 1981 or after,
• Previously worked in a registered nurse capacity for the NHS in the UK,
• Have voluntarily chosen to no longer work in a role that requires a NMC pin.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently employed by the NHS,
• Had your pin removed by the NMC or awaiting/in the process of disciplinary proceedings,
• In an ongoing legal case regarding your nursing employment,
• Had to give your PIN up due to ill health (e.g. physical or mental).

Do I Have To Take Part?

No – it is entirely up to you. If you do decide to take part, you are still free to withdraw at any time up to 72 hours after the interview, and without giving a reason. After this time, your data may be used for combined data analysis and in the production of formal research outputs (e.g. journal articles, conference papers, theses and reports) therefore cannot be withdrawn.

What Will Happen If I Decide To Take Part?

If you do decide to take part, please keep this Participant Information Sheet.  You will be asked to complete an Informed Consent Form to show that you understand your rights in relation to the research, and that you are happy to participate.

The interview will take place on a password protected Microsoft Teams meeting at a time that is convenient to you. The interview will be video recorded for the purpose of transcribing the interview (and will require your consent for this), so please ensure your location is in a quiet area.  The interview should take up to 60 minutes to complete.

You will initially be asked information to support data analysis – this will include age, sex, nationality, dependents, or carer responsibilities, country of nurse training, years of practice, current employment status/occupation. Then you will be asked to talk about your nursing experience along five themes: prior expectations of nursing, pre-registration education, experience of being a nurse, why you decided to leave nursing, and what you most enjoyed about being a nurse.

What Are The Possible Benefits Of Taking Part?

There are no direct benefits, but by sharing your experiences with us, you will be helping Kirsty Douglas and the University to better understand why Millennials and Gen Z are leaving nursing.

You may also experience a positive emotional benefit in the sharing of your experience.

Are There Any Risks Associated With Taking Part?

Whilst there are no significant risks associated with participation; the subject matter may elicit negative emotions. You may stop, and withdraw, at any point during the interview, without giving a reason.

Should this occur, there are free resources available to that can offer support, including the Samaritans, phone: 116 123 or email: jo@samaritans.org or other relevant charities, which can be found online following the link below: https://resolution.nhs.uk/services/claims-management/support-for-healthcare-staff/#toc-item-2

Will My Taking Part Be Kept Confidential?

All the information we collect during the course of the research will be kept confidential and there are strict laws which safeguard your privacy at every stage.

How Will We Use Information About You?

We will need to use information from you for this research project.

This information will include your initials, name and contact details. People will use this information to do the research or to check your records to make sure that the research is being done properly. People who do not need to know who you are will not be able to see your name or contact details. Your data will have a code number instead.

We will keep all information about you safe and secure.

If you consent to being video recorded, all recordings will be destroyed once they have been transcribed. Your data will only be viewed by the researcher and their supervisors.  All electronic data will be stored on a password-protected university computer file and any paper records will be stored in a locked filing cabinet.  Your consent information will be in a document separate from your responses in order to minimise risk.

Once the study has finished, reports and any published material will be written in a way that no-one can work out that you took part in the study. Your anonymised data will be stored for a maximum of 30 years in a secure data storage system and may be used in future ethically approved research.

What Are Your Choices About How Your Information Is Used?

You can stop being part of the study at any time, without giving a reason, but we will keep information about you that we already have.

We need to manage your records in specific ways for the research to be reliable. This means that we won’t be able to let you see or change the data we hold about you.

Where Can You Find Out More About How Your Information Is Used?

For further information about data privacy for research participants please refer to: https://data-protection.ed.ac.uk/privacy-notice-research or by asking the lead researcher.

What Will Happen With The Results Of This Study?

The results of this study may be summarised in published articles, reports and presentations. You will not be identifiable from any published results. Quotes or key findings will always be made anonymous in any formal outputs unless we have your prior and explicit written permission to attribute them to you by name. With your consent, your anonymised information may also be kept for future research. A summary of the findings from the study will be made available on the study’s blog https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/genexit/info/

Who Is Organising And Funding The Research?

This study has been organised by Kirsty Douglas, PhD in Nursing Studies, School of Health in Social Sciences at The University of Edinburgh.

The researcher is a recipient of The University of Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship for their PhD study.

Who Has Reviewed The Study?

The study proposal has been reviewed and granted a favourable opinion by the Health in Social Science School Ethics Committee at The University of Edinburgh – Reference: 24-25NUST009.

Who Can I Contact?

If you have any further questions about the study, please contact the lead researcher in the first instance,

Kirsty Douglas (PhD Student Researcher), kirsty.douglas@ed.ac.uk

If the primary research cannot be contacted and/or you would like to contact to the study supervisor, please contact

Dr Sarah Rhynas (PhD supervisor), sarah.rhynas@ed.ac.uk

If you would like to contact to an independent person, with regards to this research, please contact

Dr Rosie Steinhouse (Head of Nursing Studies), rosie.steinhouse@ed.ac.uk

If you wish to make a complaint about the study, please contact

Matthais Schwannauer (Head of School in Health and Social Science),  headofschool.health@ed.ac.uk