Reasons for leaving the nursing profession
Maintaining a sufficient pool of active nurses in Europe will be a major challenge in the forthcoming decades. Demographic changes will lead to an increasing demand in the future and most countries within the EU already face a shortage. At present the vast majority of nursing staff leave the profession prior to the normal retirement age. The NEXT study used the Work Ability Index (WAI) to investigate the reasons behind premature departure. The WAI evaluates the link between an individual's perceived personal resources and the self-evaluation of one's own working conditions. It also provides empirical evidence of the relationship between work ability, age and intention to leave nursing. This relationship was evaluated using a representative sample of 26,000 qualified nurses from ten European countries. In all ten European countries WAI scores were significantly lower among older nurses than in younger staff. Furthermore, in all countries there was a significant association between low WAI scores and 'intention to leave nursing'. This was especially true among younger nurses, since they are offered more employment opportunities to improve their working and personal conditions. Poor leadership and staff's social relationships were the main factors affecting the perceived working ability of nurses across Europe. Indeed, workload and the availability of good information in order to accomplish tasks heavily depend on such factors. NEXT was the first study to use the Work Ability Index from a cross-cultural perspective. This proved to be an effective tool for predicting an intention to leave the nursing profession. Therefore, work ability is an important organisational resource. Human Resources managers should recognise examples of good practice and promote working conditions that support work ability. This in turn will help reduce the desire to leave nursing through burnout, disability or other reasons causing poor health.
