Reducing Staff Turnover Risk in Ambulatory Care: A Survey-Based Analysis of Workload, Leadership Trust, Well-Being, and Intent to Stay
Workforce turnover in healthcare threatens operational stability, staff well-being, and the quality and continuity of patient care. Ambulatory care settings are especially sensitive to turnover because lean staffing models amplify workload strain and disrupt team-based workflows. This cross-sectional study analyzed a staff experience survey administered in an adult ambulatory care setting (N = 86; response rate = 43%). The survey assessed current work experience, intent to stay, scheduling and workload, leadership presence and trust, stay conversations, well-being signals, and growth and recognition. Results showed that 69.8% of respondents reported workloads that were frequently or unsafely overwhelming, and 76.7% reported very little or no control over their schedules. Perceptions of leadership engagement were low; 74.4% disagreed that leaders are regularly present to understand barriers, and 69.8% reported that feedback is rarely or never acted upon. Nearly all respondents (97.7%) reported no recent stay conversation with a supervisor about what helps them want to stay. Burnout signals were prominent: 58.1% reported emotional exhaustion often or almost always in the prior two weeks. Collectively, the findings indicate a substantial retention risk and support the need for multifaceted retention strategies that target staffing and workload, scheduling flexibility, leadership follow-through, and scalable well-being supports.
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