When and Why Nurses Are Leaving the Workforce

The 2018 allnurses Salary Survey was conducted in February 2018. The data from almost 17,000 nurses has been analyzed and we are happy to be able to share the results via interactive images. Through this interactivity, you will be able to customize your view and see how various factors influence nursing salary Nurses General Nursing Article

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When and Why Nurses Are Leaving the Workforce

allnurses recently examined the reasons why nurses leave the workforce. This was part of the 2018 Salary Survey. The number one reason is simply age. Of course, as we all age, we expect at some point to leave the nursing workforce. Approximately 2% of our surveyed nurses report they are retired and another 2.2% plan to retire within the next year. On the other end of the spectrum 46% expect to work 16+ more years. When compared to the 2017 allnurses Salary Survey, it's interesting to note that approx 3% of the nursing workforce planned to retire in the next year and only 8% expected to work 16+ more years.

Age is by far the number 1 reason why nurses leave the workforce. Almost 40% cite this reason. Retirement came in second with over 26% of respondents reporting. Job dissatisfaction also ranked very high at >7%. In the 2017 survey, age accounted for 39% of the reasons that nurses were leaving the nursing workforce, while 16% listed job satisfaction as the reason for leaving nursing.

In 2017, 12% of the nurses surveyed listed unsafe work environment as a reason to leave. This number decreased to Nurses Take DC in the forefront of nursing advocacy to address nurse/patient ratios.

Surprisingly pay is not a huge reason for nurses leaving the workforce. In 2017, 16% of the respondents stated this was a reason they were leaving. However, in 2018, this number had plunged to 2.5%. So, are nurses being more fairly compensated now or is the perception of pay improved?

These results are customizable by age, highest nursing degree, primary nursing specialty, length of nursing career, type of license (ie RN/APRN) and state where you live.

To see additional Salary Survey Results, go to:

2018 Nursing Salary Survey Results Part 1 - Demographics

Safe Staffing: How Does Your Workplace Stack Up? 2018 Salary Survey Results Part 2

How Much Do Nurses Make? - 2018 allnurses Salary Survey Results Part 4

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I find it curious that "Age" and "Retirement" were listed as separate factors. I would imagine that for most people planning to retire in the near future, "age" is also a factor.

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I find it curious that "Age" and "Retirement" were listed as separate factors. I would imagine that for most people planning to retire in the near future, "age" is also a factor.

I figured "age" was referring to getting older, not being able to work as hard, and not having their functional threshold being set as high as it once used to, but still being able to perform a job with lower bodily impact, whereas "retirement" was referring to being 100% finished with the work force.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Thanks for the comments. Yes age is referring to nurses that as we age we might not be as able to keep up the fast pace, be on our feet for 12 hours, etc.. and thus might leave the workforce. Retirement refers to the more traditional reason to leave the workforce such as not working at all.

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Yeah cuz after you get so old you can't get another job. I'm counting down my years now.

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I've read online that big companies like HCA are encouraging their older nurse workers to take call-center-style jobs to remain in the workforce. I think it remains to be seen how effective that is.

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I would leave because I'm sick of mandatory education that is only held in the day hours. I am a strictly night person and asking me to stay over or come in to a class in the middle of my sleep... driving me nuts. My daughter has an attorney on speed dial to call if I fall asleep on the way home from this nonsense and either kill myself or kill someone else because of "driving drowsy".

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

I don't believe that pay is such a small factor because nurses are overall more satisfied with their compensation. I think it's a non-factor because pay has been pretty much stagnant for years and unless you leave your community totally the pay is not appreciably different enough from facility to facility to make that the only reason to change jobs.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.
I would leave because I'm sick of mandatory education that is only held in the day hours. I am a strictly night person and asking me to stay over or come in to a class in the middle of my sleep... driving me nuts. My daughter has an attorney on speed dial to call if I fall asleep on the way home from this nonsense and either kill myself or kill someone else because of "driving drowsy".

I totally agree with you. This is not being respectful of your time. The hospital where I used to work (I too worked strictly nights) had in-service times that were available on each shift. The daytime only in-service hours would be a huge dissatisfier for me as well.

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Yeah cuz after you get so old you can't get another job. I'm counting down my years now.

Which can happen when you are 42.

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I left nursing because I'm no longer marketable. I'm 61, have an ASN, and no one will hire me in my specialty which I did for 11 years, because I don't have a BSN. Nursing appears to be its own worst enemy. Almost all ads for nursing positions require or prefer a BSN, a move that perpetuates, among other things, the nursing shortage. It's not the only thing that drives that shortage which most of the time is artificially created.

Instead of allowing you to get the associate degree in 2 years, community colleges now require you to do the pre reqs with a 4.0 average before even getting accepted, an absurd notion. This may sound insulting but if I'm a 4.0 student it's probably not going to be nursing.

I'm now doing something where a nursing license is required and no one cares about my degree status. I set my own hours and I choose who I'm going to work with. Autonomy...that thing most nurses don't experience.

Hospitals create shortages

Nursing perpetuates it by fighting about degrees

i understand the need for single entry level. I get it. But, punishing non BSN nurses for not having the BSN is not the way to go about it. Also, not every ADN nurse has a desire to get it. It doesn't mean you leave them behind. If nursing wants an all BSN workforce then they need to eliminate the ADN programs. Of course there would be no RN to BSN programs making nursing education incredibly expensive and driving the shortage even further.

Nursing makes nursing miserable.

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Specializes in NICU.

Not only the daytime hours but they also demanded we attend classes on our day off, even if they are paying you ,you do not get a day to rest fully.They can keep their money and let me rest as I have more than earned it.

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