Supportive work experiences linked to stronger intention to remain in care professions

Healthcare and social work professionals who reported more positive work experiences three years after graduation also reported better general health, greater well-being and a stronger intention to remain in their profession. In a multicentre cross-sectional study, supportive work conditions and internal work experiences showed the strongest associations with intention to remain, while autonomy was associated with health and well-being but not directly with professional staying intentions.

Researchers analysed an online survey completed by 165 of 1,751 invited graduates between December 2024 and January 2025. The participants had studied biomedical science, dental hygiene, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, radiology nursing or social work. The survey formed part of a larger longitudinal project concerning health-promoting factors during education and early careers, although the analysis reported here used a cross-sectional design to examine work experiences, health, well-being and intention to remain at the three-year stage after graduation.

The questionnaire included the Work Experience Measurement Scale, the 13-item Sense of Coherence scale and the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale. It also asked respondents about general health, well-being, physical activity, daily activity, sleep quality and their intention to remain in the profession. Investigators analysed the responses using descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests and regression analyses. Their main finding was that higher total Work Experience Measurement Scale scores were associated with better general health, better well-being and a greater intention to remain in the profession.

The results differed when individual work experiences were considered. Supportive work conditions and internal work experiences were most strongly associated with the intention to remain in the profession. Autonomy displayed a distinct pattern: it was associated with enhanced health and well-being, but the study did not find a direct association with intention to remain. The findings therefore connect different features of working life with different reported outcomes, rather than showing that every aspect of a positive workplace has the same relationship with professional staying intentions.

Intentions also varied by age group. Respondents aged 30–36 years reported a lower intention to remain in the profession than participants in both younger and older groups. The authors described this result as suggesting a potential need for targeted support during that stage of working life. They did not demonstrate that age caused the difference, nor did the study establish that supportive conditions or autonomy produced changes in health, well-being or professional intentions.

The research is observational and cross-sectional, limiting its ability to establish causality or describe changes over time. Only 165 people responded out of 1,751 invited graduates, so the findings may not represent all participants in the original cohort. The data also came from one survey period, December 2024 to January 2025. Despite these limitations, the results provide evidence of associations between early-career work experiences and several outcomes relevant to healthcare and social work: general health, well-being and the intention to remain in the profession. The authors concluded that positive work experiences may be important in supporting these outcomes and supported considering early-career support, sustainable leadership and supportive work conditions within workforce strategies across the professions studied.

Subject of Research: Associations between early-career work experiences, health, well-being and intention to remain among healthcare and social work professionals

Article Title: Associations between work experiences, health, well-being, and intention to remain in the profession among healthcare and social work professionals – a multicentre cross-sectional study

Article References: Andersson Hammar, I., Pennbrant, S., Nunstedt, H., Ahlstrand, I., Ekman, A., Hallgren, J., Larsson, I., Larsson, M., Lood, Q., Sundler, A. J., & Johnsen, A. M. (2026). Associations between work experiences, health, well-being, and intention to remain in the profession among healthcare and social work professionals – a multicentre cross-sectional study. BMC Health Services Research, 26(1), Article 1284. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15575-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12913-026-15575-y

Keywords: work experiences, healthcare professionals, social work, professional intention, workplace support, autonomy, well-being, early career, cross-sectional study, Associations, between, work