Purpose: As the shortage of nurses is a major problem being faced by the world health-care system, it is essential to investigate the factors that influence nurses’ turnover. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore how work–family conflict (WFC) influences nurses’ turnover intentions in the Peoples’ Republic of China. Design/methodology/approach: For empirically testing the theoretical model, the authors conducted a three-wave longitudinal research survey and collected data from 236 nurses’ sample in China. Findings: The findings show that job satisfaction and life satisfaction are the underlying psychological reasons in the positive relationship between WFC and nurses’ turnover intentions. Moreover, perceived supervisor support was found to be a boundary condition on the direct and indirect relationships between WFC and its negative outcomes such that the relationships are weak at the high levels of supervisory support. Originality/value: This study is important to the management of health-care systems as it carries significant implications for theory and practice toward understanding job retention problems of nurses.