Nurse practitioners and intent to retire

Demand for primary care services is rising. Nurse practitioners (NPs) serve vital roles in meeting primary care demands. Workforce planning requires understanding NP retirement intentions. This study examines factors that relate to NPs, aged 55 years and older, and their intent to retire within 5 years.

We used the 2012 National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners to examine the relationship between NP demographic characteristics (gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, nursing degree), work environment characteristics (part-time vs. full-time status, primary or specialty care, earnings, job satisfaction), and intent to retire. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted. A total of 3171 working NPs, 55 years of age and older, were included.

Fifty-nine percent of NPs 60 years and older and 15% of NPs 55-59 intend to retire in the next 5 years. Working part-time and having less than a master's degree were associated with intent to retire. Being "very satisfied" with one's job was related to lower odds of intent to retire versus being "satisfied." Being "dissatisfied" with one's job and working in primary care were related to intending to retire for the NPs 55-59.

Given the relationship between higher job satisfaction and lower intent to retire, efforts to increase NPs' job satisfaction may result in less early retirement.