Reasons for leaving or remaining in nursing work and profession: a comparative analysis among emergency/urgent care...

While the nursing workforce is fundamental to providing safe and quality access to health care, turnover poses a challenge to its stability.

To identify the reasons nursing professionals working in emergency/urgent care units intend to leave or stay in their current position, institution, or the nursing profession, determining the differences and/or similarities among these reasons by location.

This exploratory, descriptive field study included 118 nursing professionals working in urgent care/emergency departments in 2 states in Brazil. The participants reported why they intended to remain in their current position, institution, and profession, or why they intended to leave, and the frequency of each reason was recorded.

Organizational factors related and working conditions were often cited as reasons for leaving. The reasons for staying included affinity with the work and the profession, coworkers, salary, and job stability. The reasons for intending to leave or remain in the current position, institution, and profession were diverse and varied among themselves. There were common factors and differences between the groups.

Many of the reasons for intending leave were modifiable. Strategies to promote employee retention should include analysis of local factors.