Mandatory internal mobility in French hospitals: the results of imposed management practices.

Aim: To describe the impact of a mandatory internal mobility policy on nurses working in French state-funded health establishments.

Background: Public hospitals in France rely on the internal mobility of nursing staff to respond to organisational needs, to reduce costs and to increase productivity. However, there is very little data on the impact of such management practices on the nurses themselves.

[The professional mobility of hospital nurses].

For several decades, hospitals have been faced with the voluntary departures of nurses. In parallel to this external mobility, internal mobility is also on the rise and is not always initiated by the nurse. This new mode of management has repercussions for professionals, patients as well as for the quality of care.