Study Looks at Drivers of Nurse Turnover

TUESDAY, July 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Nurses who are dissatisfied with their primary position are much more likely to leave their jobs, according to a study published online June 5 in Health Affairs Scholar.

Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, Ph.D., R.N., from New York University in New York City, and colleagues analyzed data from the latest National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses to identify the drivers of actual, self-reported turnover among 8,953 frontline registered nurses.

The researchers found that the rate of turnover was 28.7 percent. The likelihood of turnover was more than 2.5 times higher among nurses dissatisfied with their primary position. Higher actual turnover rates were seen for nurses enrolled in school or holding graduate degrees, likely due to incompatibility of rigid work schedules with academic demands and increased marketability. There was a significant association for participation in a labor union/collective bargaining participation with a lower likelihood of nurse turnover.

“School enrollment is a leading indicator of a planned transition, given that gaining additional education reflects upward career and financial mobility,” Witkoski Stimpfel said in a statement. “For current students, the combined demands of a graduate program and employment may become incompatible, leading nurses to seek more flexible options like a per diem role.”

Abstract/Full Text