Nurses Leaving the Profession in the First Two Years

Abstract

Background: Within the first two years after graduating nursing school and beginning work, 33% of nurses leave the profession and do not return. This phenomenon is not new. It was first written about in the 1970s, nor is it unique to the United States, nurses throughout the world are leaving at high numbers. Despite such low retention, little research has been done in this area to discover the causes of nurses leaving the profession. Method: A qualitative descriptive method was used. Seventeen participants were recruited using social media for interviews. Recruitment was continued until saturation occurred. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results: This study found that nurses are leaving the profession due to working long hours, being overworked and a lack of management response to these concerns. Individuals reported that they were working over 50 hours a week, sometime seven days a week and could not get a day off which interfered with family time. Management was not responsive to decreasing the amount of time that nurses were scheduled. Factors that are not contributing to participants leaving the profession were COVID-19, education, or nurse residency programs. Conclusion: The literature suggests that nurses leaving the profession is related to education level, not having a residency program and work environment. With a projected nursing shortage, retaining nurses is paramount. Based on the results of this study, nurses can be retained if management is responsive to them having input into their schedule, pays them on time and allows for time off to be with family.