News: 67% of nurses plan to leave current position in next 5 years, survey says

A survey from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) found that 67% of nurses plan to leave their current position within the next three years, reported Critical Care Nurse. This is up from the last time the survey was conducted in 2018 when 54% of respondents said the same. The change underscored the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on nursing, Becker’s Hospital Review reported. Of those 67% planning to leave, 36% intended to do so in the next year.

The survey was conducted in October 2021 and 9,355 registered nurses currently practicing as RNs responded. Of those intending to leave, 63% said higher salary and benefits could likely influence them to reconsider. Better staffing was another top item (57%) selected that could change their plans to leave.

Just 24% of respondents reported having appropriate staffing more than 75% of the time. This is lower than the 39% reported in 2018, which could also be connected to the impacts of the pandemic. Another question asked in the survey, “My organization values my health and safety,” received lower results from the last time as well—with just 47% of respondents agreeing in 2021, compared to 68% in 2018. Last, workplaces that had implemented any of the AACN’s six items from “Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments” showed more positive results in the survey data from nurses than those who did not.

Editor’s note: To read Becker’s Hospital Review’s coverage of this story, click here. To read the full results of the AACN survey, click here.