Mitigating the impact of job demands on nurses’ burnout and professional turnover intention: a resource caravan approach

Purpose Professional turnover intention has emerged as a significant global concern in the nursing profession, which is characterized by high job demands and widespread burnout, necessitating targeted interventions through HRM systems. Drawing on the JD-R model and the COR theory, this study seeks to examine a caravan of organizational and personal resources that can mitigate the adverse effects of work intensification and burnout on nurses’ turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach Two-wave dyadic matched data (N = 204) were collected from nurses in the United States. A moderated serial mediation model was developed and tested using SPSS and Amos 29. Findings The findings of this study demonstrate that leadership emotional support mitigates employee burnout, which subsequently reduces professional turnover intention through a serial mediation process involving perceived organizational support and enhanced adaptability to work stress among nurses. Additionally, the study examines the protective buffering role of professional identity in alleviating the impact of burnout on turnover intention. Furthermore, the research offers empirical support for the mediating role of burnout in the relationship between work intensification and professional turnover intention. Originality/value Theoretically, this study advances existing turnover literature by shifting the focus from organizational to professional turnover, providing a novel perspective on how professional identity and adaptability to work stress influence nurses’ decisions to remain in or leave the profession. By integrating the JD-R model and COR theory, the study highlights the synergistic interaction between personal and contextual resources in forming resource caravans that mitigate burnout and professional turnover.