For nurses who quit their job, what is your primary reason for leaving?

Environment became too toxic. Management just kept dumping work and patients on nurses with no regard to acuity, workload, safety, patient satisfaction or anything but maximum profits. I had enough

toxic work environment and lack of respect upon others and senior nurses are also disrespected, manager favors others, the rules apply to some and not all, unbalanced work place and not focused on patient care and safety.

Unqualified nurse managers/directors that produce a culture of fear and intimidation. Organizations or health institutions that only concern themselves with profit and the prioritization of patients needs and safety is lost. Institutions that don’t provide an environment where nurses are supported, acknowledged, where units are staffed appropriately, breaks are routinely given per policy, and executives recognize the importance of nurses and the human connection and healing they bring to healthcare. When these are missing coupled with mangers that do not have the people skills to manage, and corporations that have lost their way, that is when I leave an institution.

Unsafe nurse:patient ratios, pay, and consistent fallacies from the top of the hospital systems down. COVID changed how nursing works. The heads of the companies might listen to us in the moment, but don’t actually hear us. Everything is back ordered, we don’t have the numbers, the unit is full, etc etc. I’m newer and I’m scared for the future, honestly.

Administration not caring about staff turnover, safe patient ratios or the safety of their staff.

Hospital Administration not listening to nurses and constantly making decisions that negatively impacted both nurses and patients.

Politics, bullying and overall poor management

Between the lack of support from upper management who seems to view the nurses as just bodies to fill a spot, and the constant push to take more shifts to work more hours with less people, it becomes a constant drain on your body, your mind, and your soul.

BSN 1973, MSN 2014 Using my Post 9/11 GI Bill.
Reasons quitting:
1. Too many nurses play games and act like the ugly step sisters with Cinderella. Seems too many are afraid that someone else is getting more pay for less work.
2. Staff lying about other staff and tatting the lie to the head nurse.
3. Too many playing the game: MEAN GIRLS. NOT matured past high school.

Enough for now...it gets worse.

Horrible assaultive pts I never want to help again, after 25 years these last 2 have been the worst.

Very poor management that are placed in their position due to education and degrees. They are book smart but street stupid.

We all know them and they are not people or process experienced.

overworked and under paid

I was feeling less altruistic and more like I was just helping hospitals optimize their censuses. Role: hospice hospital liaison.

Taking a mental break and considering a different speciality. I’ve done ER for 4 years now and feel burnt out. Much admiration and appreciation for those who have been doing it longer. And thank you for answering the call.

Unsafe patient/ nurse ratios. Management not helpful.

BULLYING by Doctors and other Staff Nurses especially those who are Supervisors.

I wanted to be a full time mother to my first baby

Burnout and low pay.

I retired after 41 years as a Labor and Delivery nurse. Hospitals are only concerned about one thing, making money. They do not care about you, you can be replaced. If I had to do it over again I would work somewhere I could get a pension or a small non profit place like Hospice

1) patient-staff ratio
2) limited nursing staff with work experience
Start by increasing the salary in all areas and improve the working milieu/experience.
3) the importance of social media reviews rather than what was in the patient’s best interest (a nurse will understand).
4) It would have been wonderful had our team had fun team building work challenges together.

Burn out. Being in nursing for many years and not getting the pay that new grads get. I don’t want to leave my job but am frustrated that new grads are being paid more than my position. My employer does not seem to appreciate me…

Unhappy with management

Corporate greed over patient need

Unsafe patient to RN ratio. 6:1 cna pulled to be sitter. Management unhelpful and punitive. Hospital cared more about profit over patient care and staff mental health. All in care even charge and nurse leaders, no resources available. California orthopedic RN

how i am treated by management and patients

burnout, to much to do with to little time and staff to do it in

I left my first nursing job due to burn out and low pay. Got an offer to work from home “Case Management”, been doing that 10 years. Looking to leave now because of being way too long in a toxic work environment, heavy work load and no relief in sight, poor management, dangerous practices, being lied to and ignored for far too long. At some point we need to acknowledge and respect our worth especially when no one else will.

Staff shortage, I’m the nurse not the STNA, the maintenance man, the house keeper, the cable guy, the plumber, the mayor, the cook etc. ONE paycheck=ONE job!

Toxic work environment. Bullying & lack of resources.

Lack of support/assistance when working short. Moral standards of doctors and nurses in Southwest Florida, patients not their concern, money is the only interest.

I left the nursing field due to the mandatory covid shots. I refuse to be vaccinated and forced to wear a mask and goggles all day long. I do not believe in the fake plandemic that was created. I was always a role model nurse, but I refuse to continue with all the PPE required.

Linda

When I first started out in nursing the environment would be the main reason for me leaving, but as I gain experience and realize, no matter where I went the toxic nursing environments remain the same. There’s always that mean nurse, the know it all nurses, the gossiping nurses, the power tripping nurse, the nurse that don’t care, and those who live nursing and try to maintain their sanity to continue working in a field they love, while trying to dodge all those listed above.

Staffing issues. Being expected to take on more than what we can safely and reasonably accomplish in one day.

Burnout is the simple answer. The complex answer was that it was time to move from bedside nursing to academics and training others how to be good nurses.

Burnout and workload

Being the Don in 3 Alfs over the last 30 years has taken its toll stress-wise. My last position I drove 2 hours one way to get to work and the 4 hours a day I spent on the road after six and a half years I just couldn't give up anymore. Getting those 4 hours a day back changed my whole life and outlook.

I quit my job because the 12 hr shifts in the hospital were hard on me and my family.

I left my most recent position for a few reasons, but the biggest was the lack of patient safety despite bringing such concerns to the unit manager and others.
My last straw, so to speak, was saying "This is not safe. We need to stop," to avoid patient harm. I loudly used the phrase several times during the incident. The resident, RT, and transporter all looked at me, acknowledged, but did not stop. It was reported to management and the online safety portal, but no action to mediate or educate staff was taken.

Burnout, low pay, workload

Job dissatisfaction - usually do to poor management, lack of resources, lack of respect.

Not enough pay, overworked, horrible patient to nurse ratio, management who don't care, health administration being more interested in quantity over quality.

Basically, work politics!

I’d like to add to the original question please.
WHAT DID YOU ALL DO AFTER QUITTING YOUR JOB?

Burn out. Doing too many positions under 1 title

Lack of personnel at which leads to an unsafe work environment. If you're so busy at work that you miss something, or something bad happens to a patient, that makes you feel horrible. Not worth losing your license.

No leadership or training to all, no one seems to care and you end up so stressed out or burnt out you up and wuit

Job was too dangerous, and I was old
enough to apply for retirement.

I was a school nurse for 11 years in 3 different districts. The 1st district I left after 7 years was due to moving/commute too long. The 2nd district I left after 3 years because of the micromanaging, punitive principal I worked under. She actually refused to let me return to my position after missing 4 months due to traumatic brain injury. The last district I left after 11 weeks & I'm honestly surprised I stayed that long. The health services director only saw in black & white, so she didn't allow for nursing judgment. The principal seemed very hands-off & laid back during interview, something I was really looking for. It was seriously the most dangerous job I've ever had. The staffing ratio was ridiculously unfair. 2400 students (about 100 considered high acuity) & just myself. No assistant, not even for data entry of things like shot records. And yet they had 5 athletic trainers for 700 athletes. Initially I loved it, but the director gave me more & more tasks to complete before dismissal daily. I got fed up, gave 2 hours notice & said "peace out." No job is worth my mental health or my nursing license.

Poor management.

Disorganization, lack of communication

burnout

Disabled. I believe the way I was forced to work over my 32 year career contributed greatly to this.

As my husband stated to me, "People do not leave great companies, they leave bad supervisors". I believe this with all my being.

It is the supervisor's role to make sure everyone gets a fair opportunity to grow, end any shaming/bullying, and educate their employees to become leaders.

Unfortunately I have found one supervisor that I could say is above all others. This last supervisor allowed the bullies to "lead" the unit. Therefore we go back to my husbands statement.

Good Luck!

Unsafe ratios, lack or respect from management, and not enough pay!
We get slightly more than a target employee but liable for a lot more. Not worth it anymore! I can bartend and make more money and have fun

Inequality among nurses

Family. Caring for family

Bad management-endured bullying from director and manager when I spoke up about unsafe staffing. Other departments hired travelers but we didn't. I found a much better job elsewhere quickly and with much better pay.

Mandatory vaccine

Patient staff ratio & low pay

I have left most positions due to an advancement in my career and the facility I left had no room for advancement.

After almost 45 years of nursing I retired, and cried. I loved my job but they were closing the department and I couldn't run the floors again. I cried, I had loved my job and coworkers. (Home Infusion)

The hospital paid for grad school but offered no career guidance, and when I applied for a new position within that hospital system I was sent a basic rejection email.

NURSESEAT THEIR YOUNG!!

COVID related insanity and poor staffing that jeopardizes nurse, staff and patient safety. Staffing that threatens safety to the level of potential prison sentences stemming from administration that is willing to throw nurses "under the bus" in a true crisis.

I retired. If I hadn’t been so burned out, I definitely would’ve stayed. Finding I have way too much still to give

I quit hospital nursing before Covid hit. I was working in a for-profit hospital in Florida.I don’t recommend a for profit hospital, their bottom line is the dollar. I was so disgusted at the amount of stuff they wanted us to do and the patient load. I was actually afraid for my nursing license. I just couldn’t get everything done that was expected of me or do it right. It was a rush, rush get them discharged or admitted kind of way of doing things. I couldn’t do the teaching properly because of being rushed and that affected me. All these new mommies with tons of questions.I worked post partum .4-5 Couplets most of the time.. that’s 8-10 patients to assess , medicate, vitals and document on, plus discharging a few and admitting at least one. The documentation requirements were horrendous. They got rid of CNA’s who were a big help to the nurses.
Went to pediatric home health , which was one on one in the home(trachs, vents, g-tubes..ect.) It was a great experience, a bit boring, the pay was so low because of insurance reimbursement ,plus no mileage reimbursement either. So now I’m just a part time nanny with a lot of free time.

Physical pain. I could no longer transfer or perform postmortem care on 200lb patients all by myself.

Staffing

In a word, stress.
In a wordiIna word, stress

Retirement after 45 years. I was Home Infusion which they shut down and I couldn't go back to running the floors or working ICU as I had previously. I was old enough, so I retired, and cried. Still miss it!

Toxic work environment. Constant gossip over small issues that could have easily been addressed. Only having 1 nurse to admit all the newborns, who by the way need vitals within 30 minutes of birth. So if 5 moms deliver at the same time you’re screwed and no one comes to help you. Staffing ratio of 1:8, compensation not matching expectations. Poor management. I could go on and on.

Primary reason was TOO MANY PATiENTS. A nurse cannot give the care to patients they need when they are overwhelmed. It affects you when you want to be spending time teaching patients certain things and it’s a rush job because “they need the bed”. I was actually worried about my license. Double documenting, policies that were very vague or no policies at all on certain things. They got rid of CNA’s at one point. What a joke! So, we had to answer all the call bells, strip all the beds, take all the trays, help patients with ADL’s along with routine admission , discharges, medications, and any other thing that came up. Not a problem when you have adequate staff and are not overwhelmed with so many patients. I worked for a “for profit” hospital chain in Florida. It totally disgusted me. I have never worked for one before and I don’t recommend it. The pay was OK, but that was it. I’m still certified in my field , but can’t really see going back.

Increasingly more dangerous patient situations where I didn’t feel I could protect my patients or my license. The burnout smoldered for two years during Covid. And for colleagues who left for similar reasons, they insist it “isn’t like this everywhere”. It’s been 7 months and I’m refreshed and designing the job I love; started LLC, onboarded for hiring platform/1099 work, travel contracts pending and orientation for 1099 facilities in April.

To stay home with the new little one that was born! However, for me… it’s now been 5 years! I plan to go back once he starts Kindergarten. Maybe… 😏

It was unsafe for my patients and my license. I get that covid wrecked the way we do things, but some hospitals are recovering and some are not. When management hides behind covid as a reason for things not getting better, it will never get better

Overworked underpaid

Poor management

I loved working in surgery, but computer work was overtaking my responsibilities. I went to school to be a nurse, to take care of patients. I did not go to school to be a secretary. Also, hospitals are all about money, profits, and sadly, no longer is the patient care a priority. I'm glad I worked as a real nurse for 90% of my career, and was old enough to retire when the computers became a priority over patients.

Husband’s health issues

Admin, bully nurses, gossip, hours and schedule, having young children.

Administration...Not the managers, or directors, the upper administration! Most of them have no healthcare back ground and are so far removed from what employees actually do that their expectations are not achievable...

Getting caught up the the political drama on a daily basis with management

With the healthcare system changing as it is so is the focus on nursing care. Healthcare focus has become more about business than true patient care. Whilst we recognize that time is money that does not negate the need to be able to care for our patients. After all, that is why most of us became nurses in the first place, because we care! Nursing has become more about how we can get things done faster and with fewer staff in order to meet company metrics. We no longer have the time to provide the care that our patients need and deserve.

I got sick myself, and

Acknowledgement and competitive salary

For me there is great difficulty in singling out only one primary reason but the biggest was orobably the desire to advance my skills and knowledge and going to travel nursing gave me the best way to do that with the wide variety of assignments in any specialty of nursing and the freedom to move between specialties easily with 3 month assignments. There are a LOT of other reasons, such as higher (sometimes a lot) pay, getting to travel the world and see new places, experiencing other specialties without needing to be contracted to working there for 2 years to help you see if you realky do love your primary specialty or if theres another specialty that really engages your heart and mind, and so many more, but for me the biggest was definitely the challenge to myself to learn and experience as much as I can .

Salary, insurance cost

My position was eliminated

Patient ratio, pay, insurance

I quit my job in Raleigh to relocate. I have not found or searched actively for a new one.

Compensation, better salaries elsewhere

Being forced to take a vaccination, at least ive heard that one a lot and pay. When a traveler is making double or triple the staff nurses.

New field challenges and higher salaries

Image nurse patient tattoos and management

There are many factors that may have contributed to that decision and there are many reasons too that are either personal and/or the root cause from the work place.