What is it about?
Nurses in Indonesia’s rural and remote areas often face isolation, limited resources, and fewer opportunities for professional growth. We interviewed 20 nurses working in these settings to understand what helps them stay. We found six main factors influencing retention: reliable internet for virtual connections, personal characteristics, job security, social recognition, civil servant employment, and scholarships for further education. Among these, virtual connectivity was especially important, helping nurses reduce isolation, continue learning, and communicate with colleagues.
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Why is it important?
We highlight how internet connectivity can make a real difference in keeping nurses in rural and remote areas. While many retention studies focus on salary or career progression, our findings reveal that feeling connected professionally and socially plays a crucial role in reducing isolation and supporting well-being. This insight is timely as digital access expands across Indonesia, offering new opportunities to strengthen rural health systems and ensure equal care for all communities.
Perspectives
Writing this article was deeply meaningful because it gave us a chance to listen to the voices of nurses who choose to stay and serve in some of Indonesia’s most remote places. Their resilience and creativity especially in using virtual connections to overcome distance were truly inspiring. We hope this work encourages policymakers and health leaders to look beyond traditional incentives and recognize the human connection and digital inclusion that keep nurses motivated to remain where they are most needed.
Mr Ferry Efendi
Universitas Airlangga
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: “As Long as I am Connected Through Virtual World, It Is Fine for Me to Stay Here”: Retaining Nurses in Rural and Remote Areas of Indonesia, Journal of Transcultural Nursing, October 2025, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/10436596251377894.
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