Where do they go from here? Post-turnover employment decisions in substance abuse treatment

Abstract

Turnover is a problem in the substance abuse treatment (SAT) field, particularly when clinicians exit not just the organization, but the profession as well. Voluntary clinician turnover ranges from 25% to 31% by the second year of employment (Eby, Burk, & Maher, 2010; Eby & Rothrauff-Lauschober, 2012; Garner, Hunter, Modisette, Ihnes, & Godley, 2012) to 47% by the fourth year of employment (Eby & Rothrauff-Lauschober, 2012). Supervisor turnover is 19–23% annually (Eby et al., 2010; Garner et al., 2012). The present study uses longitudinal quantitative and qualitative data from MERITS I to identify 219 clinicians that voluntarily exited SAT organizations. Leavers were classified as either organizational turnover (n=120 or 55%) or professional turnover (n=99 or 45%). A content analysis will identify specific reasons for turnover among these two groups of leavers. A better understanding of both professional and organizational turnover may reduce costs, increase organizational efficiency, and improve patient care.