Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 1;7(4):e244121.
doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.4121.

Top Factors in Nurses Ending Health Care Employment Between 2018 and 2021

K Jane Muir  1   2   3 , Joshua Porat-Dahlerbruch  4 , Jacqueline Nikpour  1   2 , Kathryn Leep-Lazar  5 , Karen B Lasater  1   2
Affiliations

Top Factors in Nurses Ending Health Care Employment Between 2018 and 2021

K Jane Muir et al. JAMA Netw Open. .

Abstract

Importance: The increase in new registered nurses is expected to outpace retirements, yet health care systems continue to struggle with recruiting and retaining nurses.

Objective: To examine the top contributing factors to nurses ending health care employment between 2018 and 2021 in New York and Illinois.

Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study analyzed survey data (RN4CAST-NY/IL) from registered nurses in New York and Illinois from April 13 to June 22, 2021. Differences in contributing factors to ending health care employment are described by nurses' age, employment status, and prior setting of employment and through exemplar nurse quotes.

Main outcomes and measures: Nurses were asked to select all that apply from a list of contributing factors for ending health care employment, and the percentage of nurse respondents per contributing factor were reported.

Results: A total of 7887 nurses (mean [SD] age, 60.1 [12.9] years; 7372 [93%] female) who recently ended health care employment after a mean (SD) of 30.8 (15.1) years of experience were included in the study. Although planned retirement was the leading factor (3047 [39%]), nurses also cited burnout or emotional exhaustion (2039 [26%]), insufficient staffing (1687 [21%]), and family obligations (1456 [18%]) as other top contributing factors. Among retired nurses, 2022 (41%) ended health care employment for reasons other than planned retirement, including burnout or emotional exhaustion (1099 [22%]) and insufficient staffing (888 [18%]). The age distribution of nurses not employed in health care was similar to that of nurses currently employed in health care, suggesting that a demographically similar, already existing supply of nurses could be attracted back into health care employment.

Conclusions and relevance: In this cross-sectional study, nurses primarily ended health care employment due to systemic features of their employer. Reducing and preventing burnout, improving nurse staffing levels, and supporting nurses' work-life balance (eg, childcare needs, weekday schedules, and shorter shift lengths) are within the scope of employers and may improve nurse retention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Figures

Figure.
Figure.. Distribution of Nurses' Age by Employment Status
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.4104

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. National Council of State Boards of Nursing . A profile of nursing licensure in the U.S. December 26, 2023. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://www.ncsbn.org/active-rn-licenses
    1. Buerhaus P, Fraher E, Frogner B, Buntin M, O’Reilly-Jacob M, Clarke S. Toward a stronger post-pandemic nursing workforce. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(3):200-202. doi:10.1056/NEJMp2303652 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Clarke S. The number one challenge facing the nursing profession: a need for a fresh look. Nurs Outlook. 2023;71(3):102005. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2023.102005 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aiken LH, Lasater KB, Sloane DM, et al. ; US Clinician Wellbeing Study Consortium . Physician and nurse well-being and preferred interventions to address burnout in hospital practice: factors associated with turnover, outcomes, and patient safety. JAMA Health Forum. 2023;4(7):e231809. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.1809 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lasater KB, Aiken LH, Sloane DM, et al. . Chronic hospital nurse understaffing meets COVID-19: an observational study. BMJ Qual Saf. 2021;30(8):639-647. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2020-011512 - DOI - PMC - PubMed