Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of work–family conflict (WFC) and work engagement (WE) and its influence on role stressors and turnover intention among medical doctors in Malaysian public hospitals. Doctors who experience higher work stress will inevitably experience WFC, consequently triggering their intention to quit. Design/methodology/approach A total of 202 structured questionnaire responses were collected from medical doctors in four Malaysian public hospitals. The study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (SmartPLS 3.0) for hypotheses testing. Findings As hypothesized, WFC encourages turnover intention while WE mitigate the relationship between role ambiguity (RA)-TI. RA is also observed to reduce WE, which, in turn, increases the intention to quit. Findings showed that both role conflict and WFC share a positive relationship with TI while WE and TI are negatively related. Furthermore, it was found that WE and WFC are significant mediators in the RA and TI relationship. WFC is also reported to be a significant mediator between the RC and TI relationship. Research limitations/implications The causality effects remain limited due to the nature of the cross-sectional design. Future studies should use a longitudinal approach to gauge a better understanding of these relationships. Practical implications This study provides insights for policymakers in resolving the increase of turnover issues by providing support and relieving medical doctors’ stress levels. Health directors should be encouraged to focus on the key aspects that may directly affect the well-being of medical doctors and eventually reduced staff turnover. Originality/value The study contributes to existing knowledge by measuring variables such as job demand (RS and WFC), personal resources (WE) and job outcomes (TI) in the public health care sector. Additionally, research involving COR theory in Asian countries like Malaysia remains relatively underexplored.

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