Survey: 1 in 3 nurses likely to leave their job in the next year

About one in three nurses (31%) are likely to leave their positions or (in some cases) direct patient care entirely in the coming months, according to a new survey. And those who have already left cited poor compensation and work-life balance, as well as not being valued, as reasons for their departures.

The findings, which McKinsey analysts collected in September 2022 and released May 5, are largely on par with nurses’ attitudes recorded in recent years.

• About a third of registered nurses (RNs) surveyed by McKinsey in both November 2021 (32%) and March 2022 (29%) said they were likely to leave their direct care job in the next year—up from 22% of RNs surveyed in February 2021.
• About 35% of respondents who said they were likely to leave indicated they’d remain in direct patient care with a different employer or role.
• Nurses surveyed by McKinsey said things like doing meaningful work, having positive interactions, and having caring and trusting teammates would have the largest impact on whether they stayed in their positions.
• Meanwhile, RNs who left their jobs in the prior 18 months said not being valued by their organization, inadequate compensation, no work-life balance, and unmanageable workloads were the top factors behind their decisions to leave, the report found.

The survey’s findings highlighted the continued challenge nursing turnover poses for healthcare organizations, the report’s authors said. That’s why “it is more important than ever for healthcare organizations to design and deploy initiatives that respond to and address workforce needs.”

“Attracting and retaining nursing talent in the post-pandemic era will require a more nuanced understanding of what nurses are looking for in a profession and an employer,” they wrote.

Methodology: “McKinsey surveyed 368 frontline nurses providing direct patient care” from Sept. 9 to Sept. 30, 2022. Nurses included in the survey spent more than 70% of their time providing direct patient care and had at least one year of work experience.