Drivers of frontline registered nurse turnover: evidence from the 2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses

The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing workforce persist.

We analyzed the latest National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses data to identify the drivers of actual, self-reported turnover among 8953 frontline registered nurses using multivariable regression.

The turnover rate was 28.7%. Nurses dissatisfied with their primary position were over 2.5 times more likely to turnover. Nurses enrolled in school or holding graduate degrees demonstrated higher actual turnover rates, likely due to the incompatibility of rigid work schedules with academic demands and increased marketability. Participation in a labor union/collective bargaining participation was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of nurses' turnover.

Our findings identify immediate policy levers-such as flexible or nontraditional scheduling options-that organizations can deploy to improve job satisfaction and work-life balance and curb costly turnover.