Intention to leave Nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: to investigate the percentage of professionals with an intention to leave Nursing during the COVID-10 pandemic, as well as the factors associated with this outcome. Method: a cross-sectional study conducted by applying questionnaires to 890 Nursing professionals from the municipality of Pelotas (RS). The outcome was identified by means of self-reports obtained from the question itself. Relative Risks, as well as their Confidence Intervals (95%), were calculated for the independent variables by means of unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression. Results: the percentage of professionals who stated their intention to leave Nursing was 24.6% (n=219). There was a positive association between the outcome and higher schooling levels, negative evaluation of institutional support, moderate or intense overload, and skin lesions. A negative association was also observed between the outcome and individuals aged 51 years old or more. Conclusion: except for skin lesions, aspects such as lack of support and overload, although they may have been intensified during the pandemic, do not represent a new fact in the health services. In this sense, the associations found in the study reflect the need for cross-sectional actions to promote retention of professionals.

Relationship between Transition Shock, Professional Stressors, and Intent to Leave the Nursing Profession during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…It was noticed that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a nurses’ wish to leave their profession rose approximately 5% more than in the period before the COVID-19 pandemic [ 30 ]. There may have been a heightened overload during the pandemic brought on by personal anxiety for family members and work-related pressures [ 21 ]. A higher transition shock in nurses who intend to leave their profession may be explained by a professional overload, inadequate working aspects, and higher personal and professional COVID-19 stressors, which all have an impact on their personal life.…”

“…Transitioning to work in COVID-19 departments may cause the nurses to worry over spreading the virus to their own family and, combined with other significant professional stressors at work, might make transitioning difficult, disturb professional harmony, and increase their desire to leave the nursing field. Studies confirm that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was increased intent for the nurses to leave their profession [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. However, previous studies related to the transition mostly identify moving from the role of a student to the role of an employee, where there is a mismatch between personal expectations and the reality in clinical practice [ 10 , 18 , 22 ].…”

Reframing care while enduring the traumatic nature of witnessing disrupted family‐patient‐nurses' relationships during COVID‐19

“…Indeed, 31.7 per cent of nurses across ten studies in a systematic review and meta-analysis (Ulupınar & Erden, 2022) and 24.6 per cent of 890 nurses surveyed in one state of Brazil intended to leave the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic (Kantorski et al, 2022).…”

“…It is possible that these universal nursing experiences may take a toll on the health of the nurse and the nursing profession for some time, increasing the rate at which nurses leave the profession prior to usual retirement ages. Indeed, 31.7 per cent of nurses across ten studies in a systematic review and meta‐analysis (Ulupınar & Erden, 2022) and 24.6 per cent of 890 nurses surveyed in one state of Brazil intended to leave the profession during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Kantorski et al, 2022). Factors contributing to whether or not to leave the profession included commitment and work conscience, fear of family infection and shortages of personal protective equipment, and organizational atmosphere (Varasteh et al, 2022).…”

Management of Risk Factors for Health Care Workers After Initial Contact with Patients Infected with SARS-COV-2 in Niamey, The Center of the Epidemic in Niger

“…It rapidly spread across the different continents of the world. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization announced the outbreak of the new coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 - SARS-CoV-2) as a public health emergency of international concern, declaring it a pandemic on March 11, 2020 (2). Since the beginning of this pandemic, the world has seen an increase in cases with a total of 527,971,809 cases and 6,284,871 deaths (3).…”