Factors associated with Texas Nurses' Consideration to Leave the Nursing Workforce: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Background: Nurses provide a majority of the patient care in hospital and long-term care settings. The state of Texas is expected to have the third largest shortage of nurses by the year 2030, and currently the lack of registered nurses (RNs) is growing. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted Texas over the last 18 months, and there is grave concern for the future impact on the Texas nursing workforce. Purpose: Assess specific demographic and COVID-19-related predictors of intention to leave the workforce in Texas nurses. Methods: Online survey of Texas nurses. Results: 311 Texas nurses completed the survey;nearly 19% considered leaving the nursing workforce, with the two most common reasons being an unsafe work environment and family/caregiver strains. Nurses who felt strengthened in their commitment to nursing had lower odds of leaving the nursing workforce. Summary: The outcomes of this study suggest that a significant nursing shortage could be looming in Texas if interventions are not developed to support nurses in their current role, particularly around safety and balancing family/caregiver needs. The results provide additional parameters regarding workforce planning at the hospital and state level. Now is the time for nurse educators, employers, and policy-makers to expand policies and implement targeted programs to retain nurses in the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Texas Public Health Journal is the property of Texas Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)