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.

Bedside nursing is abusive. Insane workload. Horrible ratios and combined acuity. No time to pee, poo, drink water, or have lunch. Patients being disrespectful, needy, and inconsiderate. Disrespectful or lazy coworkers. People’s lives at stake on a sole exhausted nurse. Then if you miss something not only is it on your conscience but management and doctors on you for not thinking of it all. PCTs dont want to do their job. You give up weekends and miss holidays for what?! The people high up get all the perks and the good salary while they over work us and treat us less than human. But “nurses are the patient experience”

Corporate greed over patient need

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

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

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.

They say we don’t quit our jobs we quit our management/bosses

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!

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.

Politics, bullying and overall poor management

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

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.

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.

Toxic work environment. Bullying & lack of resources.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

overworked and under paid

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.

Poor management. Nurses don’t leave nursing, they leave terrible “micromanaging” managers. If you hire me to be a charge nurse, allow me to manage the unit in your absence. Trust me enough not to “steal your job”. Respect me enough to talk to me if you feel that I am overstepping my role. Communication is best when 2 people talk to each other😊

Toxic environment and poor staffing levels. It was almost impossible to get an approved day off. I quit and went agency best decision ever. I have control over my schedule and if it’s too toxic I don’t extend I move on.

Burn out. Doing too many positions under 1 title

Poor management.

I am a highly skilled RN with great credentials...I was injured on the job and made an incident report. I never had an injury in my life. All hell came my way in the name of Workmans comp. I needed a repair surgery and the hospital gives you over to Workmans comp and the surgery was botched because according to Workmans comp rep."the good surgeons, will not have anything to do with Workmans comp." Workmans comp said time to go back to work , while I was still recovering and on crutches. I have a uni. degree/BSN and they said I could work a desk job at eleven dollars an hour. I had to resign to pay for my own corrective surgery. I have been recovering for 2 years on my retirement withdrawa and my partners help. Over the 2 years of recovering... I found that I do not miss bedside nursing. It is a thankless, low paying , exhausting 12 hours on my feet. I have changed careers and now I am very happy.

Unhappy with management

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…

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

Poor leadership and toxic clinical nurse leaders

Burnout, low pay, workload

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.

Work-place bullying. I find a lot of nurses bully each other, have an attitude, and try to make it hard, and watch others “suffer” like they did. Many act like they are still in high school. Childish and sad.

I would say as nurses, we are a tough breed, so MOST times it's the poor management that can break your spirit and want you to leave.
We all work hard and encounter stress, but we can handle it if we are shown appreciation. I remember working extra to help the hospital I am still working at and I was feeling a bit annoyed but as soon as the supervisor said thank you to me and acknowledged me for what I was doing, my attitude dramatically changed.

The healthcare system today is only concerned about making money. Those who hold supervisory and management positions are usually rude and, poor communicators, and not attentive to employee's mental and physical health. We healthcare professionals are not valued, but seen as a source to utilize for the institution's money making venture. As an employee, I was disrespected by assigned supervisor. He had no work ethics or integrity. It was extremely difficult to communicate with him. As a nurse case manager, I spent more time in front of a computer completing patient charts than attending to assigned patients needs. My caseload was 198 patients (really ridiculous and unconventional). 4-5 patients were added to my caseload every first of the month. Supervisors goal was for all nurses to have 260 patients. The work environment was grossly unhealthy, toxic and functioned via favoritism. Staff who did not cut corners became sick due to the stressful and toxic work environment. In short, to answer the question. The healthcare that I enjoyed working in 24 years ago no longer exist. This new healthcare system is "money care." Nurses are having difficulty being nurses. We are just professional robots. Unfortunately, it's all about the Benjamins. God help us!

mean nurses, charge and management throwing nurses under the bus, techs who think thier nurses, techs who do nothing, charge nurses who havent been nurses long enough to be charge nurses, poor leadership, lacking stocked supplies, including medications, poor pay, mean entitiled patients.

There are a few facts that "precipitated" my retirement from nursing "sooner versus later" ..... Nursing and hospital administration refuses to give you the necessary staff you need to care for your patients safely and comfortably, but they are the first one on "your tail" the moment something goes "south" with your patients or the unit. Whenever there is a "screw-up" somewhere, it is always the "nurses' fault .... Second factor: I was a nurse for 43 years! In the good old days of nursing, it used to be more about the patient and always the patient. The patient always came first .... That is no longer so. In the last 10 years, I found myself doing more paperwork and documentation, than taking care of the patient. It seems that "every other day", someone in the nursing office or QA office came with a new form or new paper that we needed to be completed ...... Lastly, I "discovered" during this past 5-6 years, that nursing is a profession where staff have "the tendency to eat its own"! There are plenty of "rats" working with you, always looking for a way to tell what you or someone else is "not doing" or "not doing well enough". What it means? There are plenty of Judas working along your side, looking to gain the favor of their supervisor or manager. Therefore, they are willing to "rat" on anyone on their unit, YOU included! It is very painful and disappointing when you discover that the nurse you always look-up to and thought so much, is the one always telling "the stories" about the unit and the staff .... So now, I no longer have to worry or be concern about all of it because I am happily RETIRED!

I left my job because I was tired of being bullied by other RN's, surgeons (I'm an OR nurse), residents and even patients. I need to respect my self-worth. Not worth it anymore.

Burnout, racism, unfair treatment, toxic environment and the most important one, better mental health for yourself

I feel like administration knows nurses inherently care. We care about people and the work we do. That tends to get heavily exploited for profits, i.e. working hard, higher patient loads, working despite safety concerns. I also feel there is a huge double standard. Hospitals tend to be corporate, big business. And they have all the human resource jargon to go along with that corporate mentality. But in a day and age where bullying, harassment and hostile conditions should not be tolerated, management looks the other way when doctors, management and other nurses act unprofessionally, sometimes in a gross manner. I recently left a job due to bullying and belittling from a physician. I was told to grow some thicker skin. But in this century, it should not be tolerated. Especially with sexist undertones. The days of toxic, doctor masculinity should be and need to be over!

I took a job with the condition I’d have time off for my wedding. They agreed 2 weeks. When the time came to it, they wouldnt give me the time off for my wedding and honeymoon. Even after I found nurses to cover for me, they denied it saying it would be overtime for them. I couldn’t win. I was trying to hold strong with having vacation denied for the past almost 3 years due to census and staffing but I couldn’t take it anymore.

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

Burnout and low pay.

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

Nurse-to-patient ratio that is dangerous. They don't care about your license, and when shit hits the fan, they will not be on your side.

Vaccine mandate fired me while I was on workers comp. Northwell cut my pay and benefits for an entire year and a half and I wasn’t even allowed to look for a job because my workers comp file remained open and I was still 100% disabled. So had to sit around that long with no income at all with bills still coming in. All because I didn’t get my vaccine when I didn’t even have a return to work status yet. All on top of me already having a SIRVA, a vaccine injury from flu vaccine that they accepted as an exemption for flu but not for Covid vaccine. Took them to court an WON my case after almost two years of court hearings.

Patient staff ratio & low pay

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

Overworked underpaid

I was a DON at a nursing home. The can's were in a union, and abused this by NOT completing their work.
When I asked a cna. if she had put her patient care into the computer, she stood up against me, in a VERY THREATENING manner, and said: Why are you picking on me? I stated that I was just doing my job. I then just turned around and left the floor.
I gave my resignation that afternoon, and the next morning, I was fired by the OWNERS.
The owners and the administrator did not/do NOT support management nurses, and they are NOT loyal, even tho I was loyal to them.
I am tired of the pettiness of nurses and cna's and being told I don't have enough experience (I have been an RN for 33 YEARS!!!!!).

For me personally:

I left Tele/MSU due to burn out and poor pay.

I then went to travel nursing for higher pay, but there was a lack of job security at times, no benefits, and wages can be unpredictable.

I became a nurse manager for a large academic medical center, but left because there was too much politics and I was working 60+ hours for a set salary. No thanks!

I then became a float nurse for a group of hospitals owned by the same organization. I floated to different types of units. That was nice because of the autonomy, but I got burnt out again.

Despite being burnt out, I went to the ER— this was the most toxic environment I ever experienced, so I left.

Now I work as a mobile research nurse as well as an outpatient infusion nurse. So far, so good.

All in all, nursing sucks. I can’t wait to retire!

Not enough flexibility in days off and realized that we were spending a fortune on child care that for the amount of stress and missing things with my kids it wasn't worth what I was bringing home.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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...

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

I retired. Worked as a nurse for 57 years and thought this was a good time.
I still had bills to pay and was scammed out of 25000 dollars. Still working to get that resolved.
I had a lady friend that hired people to sit and took that to help with bills.
Kept looking in nursing field but response was slow and fearful bills would not be paid so kept on working and it was very rewarding.
I am 79 and would rathet work than spend savings.
License still current I plan to stay employed until physically unable.
Terrie Thompson

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

Burned out. Undervalued. Unhappy with management focusing more on money than people (“not for profit,” yeah, right). Tired of healthcare being more business focused than patient focused. Tired of arguing with insurance companies. Tired of spending more time on “paperwork” than patient care. Tired of shuffling patients in & out without being allowed or able to give them the time they need.

Toxic management. We are family BS lines. We take care of each other here BS. You didn't adopt me, you are not my family and I am not your family. You hired me for the job that needs to be compensated.

I’ve always left jobs because of bad management. My experience is that people don’t leave bad jobs. They leave bad managers

Usually it's because of the patient load, acuity and unrealistic expectations from management.

Overworked, unappreciated and department policy dictated by metrics that don’t match acuity with staffing. Managers who haven’t had a day of patient care in their careers telling others how the job needs to get done. Bean counters don’t know what hard work transpires in the trenches. Upper management continues to have unrealistic salaries while nurses and support staff do all the work and get rewarded with minimal pay increases. No wonder nurses are leaving. Can you blame them?

Charge nurse and manager more concerned about being buddies with staff than holding people accountable. No advocate for nurses. Lack of professionalism. CNAs get away with whatever they want. Poor morale and attitudes.

The techs ran the hospital if they complained administration write you up! They never did anything! I was done

Workforce politics and lack of support will staffing

Disheartening abuse of nurses. Specifically having such a heavy work load that one cannot urinate eat or drink water in a 12hour period. No amount of time management allows for this. Nurses who "get it done" in a 12hour period are taking dangerous short cuts and we all know it. Animals get better treatment than nurses. No amount of salary crease can compensate this. I can make the same pay as a Walmart assistant manager and have half the stress of a step down medsurge unit. And I can walk away at the end of the day feeling pleased with my work instead of angry and disappointed. When in reality I was consciously set up to fail by management that is more interested in profits.

Bullying for helping fill supplies for the day staff. Isn’t that called teamwork? And, nurses sleeping (including two charge nurses) without any repercussions — despite being photographed and videotaped. Not the kind of place I want to work with all the available options for nurses.

management. bullying culture. distance

I am charge nurse in primary care setting. I have a lot responsibility and not any authority. I am constantly being bullied, intimated and belittled by patients, doctors and other colleagues. I am expected to assist others but when I asked for help everyone is busy. No support from management. I am scheduled to leave in March. I pray that I can wait until then

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.

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.

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.

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.

Burnout and workload

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.

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

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

Compensation, better salaries elsewhere

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

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.

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

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

burnout

NURSESEAT THEIR YOUNG!!

Mandatory vaccine

having to take “the Jab” and mask wearing

Same as above. I worked in a city ED which saw over 100,000 patients a year. I would end up with 10-12 patients some days of varying acuity. Patients were in the hallway making it impossible to give them the care they needed. There was zero support from administration. Our top “leader” was unqualified and inept. She had been an LPN in a nursing home (nights) and gone on to receive a Masters Degree. She had never worked in an ED or in critical care. Her decisions were impossible to understand. She offered zero support, instead bawled us out walking around and pointing out wastebaskets “this needs to be emptied, that needs to be emptied.” Meanwhile I have bloodwork to draw, meds to give and assessments to make. On 8-10 patients. Her concern for the trash (which is environmental service’s responsibility) over her overworked nurses is comical and sad. I had enough one day, walked into her office and told her she was the worst manager I had ever worked for and gave two weeks notice. When word got out peers and providers themselves begged me to stay. I retired.
LTaylor, BSN, MSN

Too many patients, mean girl cliques, pay

Toxic colleagues. Toxic gossip at work. Work favoritism and discrimination

The facilities I worked for stopped caring for anything but the bottom line. Every where I worked in my 30 years as an RN, BSN, MSN, would not hold the slackers accountable or they sucked you dry. I loved being a nurse, but the industry ruined it for me. Retired and never looked back. I do miss the patients.

Lateral bullying. Patient violence. Unsafe staffing/patient conditions. Inability to get to a decent shift. High turnover rate. Burnout.

Toxic coworkers and management, blatant favoritism and encouragement of suppression, bullying and isolation. Lack of support from cohorts. Retaliation for doing what is right, which caused fear of doing my job the right way verses what boosts”productivity”. This ultimately results in poor patient care, and our patients ARE noticing. Many occasions of having to take blatant verbal attacks on my personal character by management- I was once told by my supervisor that I don’t love myself and everyone knows it. I was also once told that “I would be the nurse she would want taking care of her on her deathbed”, but that I will never compare to other nurses in our clinic because I wasn’t fast enough. Tired of patients being a checkbox and not a human being anymore. Company culture cramming diversity and inclusion down our throats but the continued constant belittling, bullying, comparing and intentional efforts to destroy our self esteem and self worth for personal gain by coworkers and supervisor.

Retired at 63 1/2 years old. Tired of the stress!

Unrealistic demands on the floor nurse while management hides in their offices and meetings. Little to no support staff, but they'll use this as a selling point while recruiting. You almost want to tell new hires to run away, but don't because we desperately need the help.

Nurses leave when there is no team support and they get targeted or bullied

When managers allow nurses to work as a team they stay because they feel supported and that their license is safe

Toxic environment, no support or teamwork, and letting the toxic environment continue without problem solving and improving the environment.

Straight up pay rates.

Lack of appreciation from peers and sometimes patients . Discrimination.

Severe Burnout.

I have left jobs for different opportunities that offer greater growth. I have also left jobs due to toxic environments, lack of support. I have worked to hard and too long to lose my license for giving medicine late

Lack of fairness in scheduling, having to work every other weekend and needing a better work/ life balance. Looking for a remote telehealth type position.

Because i loved myself ..i wanted to live happily with my family in normal ways without stress lifestyle hectic schedules and without pleasing anyone without valid reasons.
rearewanna

An incompetent manager who was disrespectful and a gossip.refused to do training when i was new and assigned tasks that were for MA's while my RN work piled up. This was out patient VA care manager RN position. People promoted to management without adequate education and management skills to run a clinic and manage staff.

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.

Inequality among nurses

Basically, work politics!

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

Bullying

NUMBER 1 answer - poor management and / or hostile work conditions.
I have survived three poorly run facilities in my career. The first was a battle that went all the way up to the CEO office. In spite of assurances that conditions would improve, the harassment continued. I filed suit in state court and won case. Things continued to be hostile so I left.
Second hospital was mental health & drug / alcohol facility. The DON was a bully who was reported to the CEO. I was part of a suit against her and we won. She was fired but the CEO retaliated. I was once again in state court suing for defamation of character, slander and liable. Won the case but was afraid of continued retaliation. Last hospital was run by those not smart enough to avoid tripping over cordless phone wires. I tolerated that for the last part of my career until I was able to retire. It appears that many times upper management consists of some of the dullest and least capable individuals. Glad I made it to the end and do not put up with people i detest.

The fact that we care for so many people but the fact that the hospital really does not care about us. My mental health went to shit and it didn't matter to anyone but me.

Like many on this thread a toxic work environment, as well as educators and managers that had personality conflicts and displayed favoritism.

Toxic management that are allowed to bully nurses. Nurses really have no recourse.

Bad management, toxic environment, nurse to patient ratio, more importantly I noticed that my time card was adjusted so as not to have to pay overtime. I also didn't get lunch on a 16 hour and they still took it out of my check. 4 admissions arrived at same time and I was assigned all 4 on top of my regular load with charting.

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

how i am treated by management and patients

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.

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.

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

Hostile work environment.

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

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

Staffing

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.

Disorganization, lack of communication

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.

Management issues: using a point system against nurses if they are inadvertently late, forgot ID badge, called out with a true illness etc, setting up unsafe staffing situations on purpose, not supporting current evidence-based standards of care, ignoring staff concerns, making up own rules that are harmful and not supported by policies, ignoring employees who engage in horizontal workplace bullying and putting them in charge roles,refusing to engage with employees and having disrespect and arrogance toward employees. I'm a true believer that nurses quit managers, not jobs.

Patient ratio, pay, insurance

Vaccines maim, and at worst, kill.

Management

Poor work-life balance

Staff shortages are why I generally leave a job. I can start a job at a well staffed hospital/ company and within 3 months it’s so short staffed you’re often the only RN on the ward and sometimes the only staff on the ward. This can be really dangerous if anything should go wrong.

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… 😏

Lack of concern for actual patient care. If it doesn't bring the money, the facility will not bring the care. This does not matter whether its a nursing home, home health, hospital...

Poor work environment: incompetent and ineffective management, staffing issues, vaccine mandates.

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!

Family. Caring for family

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)

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

Acknowledgement and competitive salary

I left due to lack of staff. Which led to a domino affect on the staff. Where a lot of us worked without breaks ,etc ! Also, certain lack of support from Management.

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 .

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

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

Juggernaut hospitals toy with your license by: 1:6 ratios, NO break - not even 5 minutes, ALL high acuity patients, who NEVER leave! The hospitals never say no to patients. Even the one's who suck the system dry but rather are hungry, tired, and cold. I have a nursing license, but I am a therapist, an HVAC specialist, an IT tech., house keeper, bell boy, waitress, and a fn muffin toaster - literally. Management walks towards you and says, "Happy Nurses week", and bought us gas station Slim Jim's. Between 3, 12.5 shifts (and that .5 "break" NEVER occurs), I slept 12 hours total! Just because the end of the shift strikes 7:30 does not mean you're going home. Document, document, check check check. I fell asleep driving my car home because you can't escape fast enough from the administration that only wants money, the patients who physically and verbally attack you, and the charting.

After 42 years I retired mostly because of the beginning of early onset Alzheimer’s. I was very disappointed because I wanted to nurse until I was “90!” Saw a 90 year old nurse retire and she danced down the hallways, filled on both sides with nurses from all walks of life as she retired in style. But, God had different plans. Miss it still.

New DON, awful management of resources, most nurses quit. Risk to licensure, short staffed, working more than 2 units, which by the way is illegal. No communication.

Not feeling valued or protected.

No preceptors to teach us even being a nurse 30 years I need to learn the hospice groups policy 6 weeks never taught anything long hrs of traveling out of state to learn with a nurse who shows nothing

I am no longer marketable guess I am to old to train. No one will hire me for anything except positions of lower compensation or positions I have had in the past because the new grads don't want med-surg jobs. There is no where for me to move and grow, I am bored and burnt out in my current position. Leaving nursing completely has crossed my mind.

I just resigned yesterday for me to continue school and have time with my husband. Still work in 1 more hospital.

EXTREMELY incomplete t management!

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.

I got sick myself, and

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

Nurses leave their job for many different reasons! They may get stressed or overwhelmed! Some have to retire ! Some move away to other states ! Or the most common for more pay ! But you will need to know your limits ! And decide what motivates you to stay or leave ! Always look at what the reality of your job requires! Before accepting it! Don’t go into a job blindly! Just because it pays well! You won’t be happy !

I left nursing when I realized that our entire medical model is based in managing symptoms - while creating more symptoms to treat (treating the “side effects” of prescription medications as new symptoms, and prescribing new meds, with more side effects & so on).

I am so excited to have left in 2019, before pandemic!

It has everything to do with management. I Work for a company that doesn’t respond to questions, supervisors and managers, as well as staff are rude, bullying, management is dismissive. Never will I work for a company like that again

Many leave because of moral distress, it is more than burnout. As nurses we face working in an environment that has more than its fair share of moral conflicts. (especially since Covid) A nurses duty to provide compassionate care to our patients and their families can be in direct conflict with our facilities protocols. This causes moral fatigue and when it is not addressed many nurses decide to change jobs or just leave the profession altogether.
An individual's moral code determines the way we think and behave to achieve happiness in our personal and professional lives.
As a nurse I felt that my responsibility was to care and do no harm, have integrity, have respect for human life, act in fairness and be loyal to my beliefs.
I have worked in critical care for 19 years and been required to preform duties that are not consistent with my personal moral code and beliefs. I am 63 and can't waiting to retire to get out.

Lack of respect and support for the institutions to realized “ the importance to keep the bedside nursing professionals very happy on their job =Invest in nursing patient care to optimize real nursing satisfaction for the jobs will lead to excellent patients satisfaction and improved the organization revenues. Without nurses beds are closed = zero revenue. Physicians without nurses= chaotic healthcare system.

Life/ work balance, healthy work environment and career growth would be some of the reasons I would consider

Salary, insurance cost

New field challenges and higher salaries

Bad behavior from coworkers that is not addressed, no accountability for co-workers, hostile work environment, racism.

Management and leadership are inept. Organization itself is unsafe.

Unsafe nurse/patient ratio. Understaffing.

The computer part. ,affected the quality of nursing care. Nurses spends more time with the computer instead of providing nursing care.

Multiple reasons depending on the role. Twice, it has been toxicity and lateral workplace violence that went with impunity because of leadership favoritism. Second, work life balance was going way left and I wasn’t enjoying my personal life. Most recently, seeking to further develop my skill set in a new, exciting role.

Retaliation by management, HR, and administration.

Toxic work environment and the zeal to work j

So for me the environment just got toxic and passive aggressive. People talked alot of shit behind others that I couldn't stand. Since I was HS shift, day shift kept dumping more work on us and taking a break became far fetched. Since becoming a nurse in April 2022 I am beginning to feel like nursing was a bad choice tbh. But it's really ALWAYS the people and environment. You would think working together is everyone's top priority.

Poor management.

My last travel assignment became permanent. Mistake#1 ‼️
Then the small town hospital politics were unveiled ‼️
Decided I’d stay til I was eligible for Social Security since it would only be a few more months…
It didn’t take long for me to get on their last nerve‼️
I left, married, and have never looked back on my 30 year career with regret‼️

Unsafe nurse to patient ratios. Low pay increases compared to inflation rates, new hires getting paid more than veteran nurses, agency and travel having minimal responsibility and triple the pay even though core staff does most of the hard work doubling our work load by having to pick up the slack of these agency and travelers. Admitting highly violent patient assault nurses over and over again in a psychiatric unit against Dr orders the admin will override for another patient in and out to make money regardless if it puts staff in danger. Tired of people using the psychiatric unit As get out of jail free card, three hots and a cot and Receiving zero repercussions for assaulting Nurses.

Under market pay for our community, short staffed, burnt out!!!

Poor working conditions, lack of support or respect for staff from poor administration, lack of leadership. It’s not about the patient, it’s about the money! Health care is a disgrace!

Terrible management and unrealistic expectations

Toxic environment. Micromanaging staff. No trust, snitching, back stabbing, brown nosing nurse managers.

I've left nursing for 3 years after I got covid from the hospital I worked in. I had covid induced pnuemonia and they wanted me to come back to work with that and still covid positive. I worked in a lock unit and refused. They fired me. I never looked at the Healthcare system the same. I just recently thought I try and see if I wanted to continue nursing and thought I try travel nursing. The first facility I went to was operating so unsafe I left on my 5 day of orientation. I am not sure if I'm going to stay in nursing honestly it has gotten so much worse. Ive been a nurse for 12 years , it money over everything now and they don't care who sees it.

Poor management

New Grads have very little bedside knowledge. Admin does less to support anyone. Patient load in the ED is 6-12 pt to one RN x 12 hrs with one CNA. Patients are more critical. Lack of equipment to move and turn pts safely

The upper management in our hospital is destroying our floor. Nursing is not nursing anymore, and the favoritism of hiring incompetence in the management with no clinical experience abusing their power because of their lack of self worth and their ego, providing no quality in work conditions and forcing more responsibilities onto their staff. And upper management can't figure out why work place burnouts and suicides are high.

Toxic work environment, poor support from management, patient violence, no opportunity to move to day shift, completely burnt out.

Management

i stopped working to be home with my children. the youngest are now in high school and i need to figure out what i’m doing with my life

Postpartum was treated like crap by manager and she turned labor and nicu against us by not communicating, she enjoyed there was tension. Postpartum would have 7 patients and be expected to go upstairs to a section for two hours while leaving my whole team and then we’d get in trouble when reviews said discharges weren’t quick enough. No win situation.

Management management, toxic work environment. It’s always the same, the people who do the work , cover shifts work holidays etc are always treated like crap. The lazy ones who are always late, call off etc. are promoted. Why ? Because they kiss butt. There is no leadership, there is no management. I have worked 30 years in this industry in ER, home health, surgery and critical access across the country and I have come across 2 managers who were able to their jobs. When you have a for profit the system it automatically fails the staff and the Pts.

Seeing how all the other professions get respect except for nurses

Definitely toxic culture, overworked, underpaid and under appreciated! It’s terrible out there:(

I have left due to micromanagement, and poor work environments. Self care is #1 and it Took me a very long time to understand that. However, if you do not take care of yourself and get sleep and the proper rest and restore, you can’t and will not ever be able to take great care of your patients. I finally realized that I am an RN with an MSN. no matter what degree you have if you are an RN, you can find a job anywhere. Stand your ground.

I resigned from my job as a Nurse Manager that paid fairly well due to the stress, lack of support and toxic environment. The employees that have been there awhile are never held accountable and have a different set of rules and expectations. HR is friends with employees and do not hold them accountable. Staffing ratios are dangerous. If you are an acute care rehabilitation hospital there is no way you should have 1:7, 1:8 nurse to patient ratio. As a manager I was not respected by senior staff and couldn’t advocate for my nurses and CNA’s. I’ve been a nurse for over 20 years and I have finally had enough. I opted for a job working UM from home and I could never be happier.

THE BULL SHIT, I WORKED HOME HEALTH FOR YEARS, CANT DO IT ANYMORE. I CAN'T STAND THE PATIENTS AND OR THEIR FAMILIES AND THE MD'S WHO THINK THEY ARE BETTER THAN YOU AND DON'T RETURN PHONE CALLS. CEO's MAKING MILLIONS AND STAFF ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THAT PROFIT. I HAVE RETIRED AFTER 43 YEARS, AND COULD NOT DO IT ANYMORE. THINK I WILL BE A DOG WALKER.

Everything mentioned here, from insincere and condescending management and unrealistic expectations, unsafe patient loads, and unsafe policy and procedures that can't be contested... But the straw that broke the camel's back : you know the thing? That disgusting poison they forced on everyone - that's why I finally quit.

Toxic and terrible work environment. Patient care is not held at the forefront for the leaders in the Surgery department and instead of having staff adapt practices to be in line with evidence based practice the Director looks the other way while her OR supervisor runs the department.

The toxicity and favoritism with work assignments is evident on the daily and instead of taking action leadership acts like nothing is happening and we lose nurses every week.

When you speak up, you are then considered a target and they give you a hard time until you leave on your own.

My last nurse job that I quit after a month allowed this employee to bully me. They chose him over me because he was there longer and their only concern was staffing. I went to HR, the director, and the chief nursing officer after my manager said the incident was unfounded knowing darn well she knew this was a pattern for this employee. All they did was try to protect my manager. Learning from staff, other nurses have left because of this bullying nurse too. This was on a psych unit. I won’t work inpatient psych now. Not only do you have to worry about unsafe patients, but now abusive workers. Nurses have too much stress, and they take it out on each other, and the managers don’t care. My manager tried to take up for this guy saying he is going through personal hardship. That does not give him the right to bully me. Nurses get witnesses and document everything. This hospital should be sued.

I have read many articles on why solid employees leave their positions across diverse industries. The most common single answer, other than relocation or a change in lifestyle (eg. stay-at-home mom, etc.), is a "bad boss". That is now under the category of vertical bullying, targeting, or management toxicity. I loved my job and work setting but started over in a new healthcare system after 22 years due to an uninspiring manager who was not a leader and who intentionally created a hostile, divisive, unethical workplace. It was a tough decision but, even when I tried focusing solely on the patients, the manager would not leave me alone to do my job. She was the worst, most petty and personal person I have ever worked under, including my pre-nursing jobs. I miss the doctors, the vast majority of my coworkers and colleagues, and the highly efficient, technologically perfected systems.

Toxic management! I had left two jobs in my career to get away from intolerable working conditions. Went to court on both cases. I wanted to ensure that management "got the message" that they need to stop the harassment and targeting they were engaging in. Finally left the third job after being able to retire out from there. Horrible management but mostly incompetent.

Toxic work environment, no support from management, unsafe staffing, no support staff, lack of experienced professionals (nurses, mid levels, and managers), constant gossiping and negativity.

Manager who had absolutely no compassion for the family situation I was dealing with. So headless and uncaring

I’m going through this right now. I’m in labor and delivery, I haven’t felt like I’m in a safe or supportive environment especially being a new nurse. The orientation has been horrible, everything has been a rush job to just check off boxes. I’ve dealt with mean doctor, family members and even racial comments from patients. But I never felt so belittled till coming to this facility I’m in now. Having a senior nurse standing over me and yelling, not once but 2x even after I said something to the head nurse and nurse educator since my manager is out. This situation has me ready to just quit.

Dumb politics!!!

Frustration with management.

Average work week 60-72 hours for an extra $300. I have no life

Lack of ability to move up the ladder. Management is another reason to quit.

I no longer felt like our mission, values, and goals were in alignment.

managers micromanaging and tying my hands with patient care. I feel for a clinician to be successful, management should encourage and not try to do everything. Also managers need to realize that we work in health not concierge.

My position was eliminated

OB nurse here since new grad. During covid they would make us be sitters and helpers in ICU and ER. After covid, they continued making us do this although when labor and nicu were dangerously short, no one came to help us. I had terrifying experiences sitting for homocidal pts (no training) and we weren’t always appreciated by the floors we where to help on. I developed insane anxiety about coming to work and being sent to be a sitter with a dangerous patient and I chose OB because I don’t feel comfortable amywhere else. We were a closed unit before and will never be again.

Burn out. Being paid less than the new nurses I trained. Never commended for anything. Feeling professionally disregarded. Zero support for oncology team. Too much mourning and loss, compound grief. I wish I wasn’t a nurse at this point.

Nurses leave their jobs/positions due to their manager. Poor leadership tends to run staff off.

Management is always the reason for leaving nursing!

Terrible management

Disrespect and getting taken for granted (for my skills and leadership) by administration.

Burnout

My health

The management and co-workers. Understaffing and terrible working conditions. The biggest one is because of stress and the management won't help you correct the problems that cause it.

Inflexible hours. Long shifts and unpredictable relief at the end of the day. Not worth the pay and sacrificing my time with my son who’s special needs. I’ve been searching for an At Home position with no luck

sounds like my unit in the military (run by nurses) sorry.... im in nursing school but.....I think I have experienced that behaviour coming from nurses, hope the new gen changes these toxic traits...

If I’m being completely honest, PTSD. I worked in the Covid ICU for about 2 years and it just completely burned me out. Then we were supposed to just go back to normal, and I couldn’t cope. I left my cardiac care staff RN position on Halloween of last year, and it was the best decision of my life. I’m looking for outpatient jobs now.

Not being able to have requested time off and having to ask to switch days with your coworkers. Working all the overtime to make ends meet.

Toxic environment, not appreciated and I was denied my promotion.

Wow am shocked to see it’s just not me feeling this was…. I’ve been a nurse 1.5yrs and recently drop bedside was demanding too much on my mental health in Texas medsurg ratios7:1 tele:1:5 step down 1:4 icu1:2-3 …. I thought my first job was just toxic I tried another unit and the same… although am hurt to leave bedside and scare to look elsewhere to only find out it’s just as toxic ….

covid took away my vitality, i couldnt keep up anymore with taking patients to CT scan, or doing a code, or even walking down long corridors, it was fugging embarassing after 40 yrs of being a nurse. and though I dont miss the awful shifts, Im still grieving the loss of my career.

Managers and peers who resent that you are valued more by Physicians. Sad but true.

Have been licensed 43 years. Multi clinical areas. Multiple admin and supervision positions. Last position was a unique clinic assd with a heart institute. We never closed during Covid. Through it all… CEO and head of the physician group behaved totally opposite of all the institution mandated behavior. Reason went out of the window. Patient loads, clinical guidance , peer to peer bad behavior continue to be issues no one would address. Not admin. Not Union. No more clinical for me. I’ve had a very good run. Sorry for the younger nurses.

Also know that there are definitely places that run things better than others. I took off a nice long stretch and am job shopping lately with one of my big prerequisites being that I wanna work for a place that cares more about its employees and patients than just the bottom line and that can allow a healthy work-life balance. To my surprise there’s actually a few places in the northwest to choose from that appear to be right along those lines. I’m starting to get excited to be a nurse again.

Unit became toxic. Worked there for 15 years. Took my first out that I could and became a travel nurse with low paying jobs that are local to me.

Toxic work environment

Management

I can relate to so many of your answers. Looking again, as I am tired of the micromanaging and the lack of empathy when there is a problem. Thinking night shift homecare will be good as I know I will mostly be left alone to do my job, but it can be boring. Really think it is time to leave nursing but have a good 10-12 years before I can retire. Maybe if I get some bills paid down I can live cheaply and get something different.

toxic environment and poor, poor management! there are better places to work. Find yourself one

Burn out after 26 years

Hospitals allowing managers to not manage and also be horribly aggressive.

I
The effects of my complaining on death ears regards to toxic bullying that involves surgeons and board members. Horrible that union is involved too.

I thought I was the only one who saw the deep hypocrisy we encounter in the nursing field. I am glad I joined this forum. I see the issues that troubled me are common knowledge. I feel much better now! I have been a nurse for several years. I have seen too much hypocrisy. I just want to be genuine! I worked in a place where no one wanted to work with covid 19 patients. When I asked why I had to be the one always assigned to the covid patients.... You can guess what happened.

I retired in April 2019

No true flexibility with home/family life. Management can be difficult and overwhelming and not enough pay. I resigned recently from an NP job

Brakes became minimal, Mid-Senior Nurses ,we where used to the point of abuse. Plus Some Seniors became Managers “Power behind the Throne!” Due to our Director’s lack of knowledge of The unit! They both where using each other for Power! Also,I became tired

Burnout! I am taking a year off to travel. I hope to come back, but am unsure.

Disagreement with the management. They make you think they listen to your concerns but really do not. They keep making the same mistakes putting every licensed personnel’s license in jeopardy. It made the environment toxic and stressful.

I had a charge nurse that absolutely hated me! I was so kind to her so I have no idea why, but I went back to my old job.

I'm a Rapid Response ICU RN. It appears that there’s never enough help/resources or seasoned nurses to attend to the most critical patients. Some of these schools that are popping up produce substandard nurses which don't give the basic tools needed to become efficient Registered Nurses... So sad... I hurt my back several times because there wasn't enough staff to help... I do not have to work...I love nursing but I'm really thinking about hanging up my stethoscope and retiring...Good luck to all and remember protect your BACK…

Mental burn out and continuously working under staffed with little resources.

oh geeze...so many reasons....and i hate changing jobs.....few i admit especially when young nurse was to high expectations and not communicating well enough..........

i would rather leave than fight.......or do a poor job or lie or coniveve....
But a few were good justdid not meet my family life...like to long a drive and construction so could notget to daycloseing on time and being a single parent......another ins company 2 weeks to start my kiddo got chicken pox from starting daycare and sick kid day care back then.........some of-healthcare like any job is ugly and even treacherous....i should have gone in different field like art so i cpuld see pretty paint pretty fixit if not.....

lieing and belittleing -gaslighting - lack of support - broken machines like machine - no benefits promised at 60 days even though it was 6 months later - lack of respect and basic care for a patient nursing skills needed like a glucometer for pt to take a DM 1 brittle BS checks - so much more....if i feel scared and company wont listen...my license and family to important........cover ups - lies - fraud charting ........so much lastly not paying me for weeks worked and now wasting my time and having to do a labor board wage claim....another not scheduling me orientation days cause had no one then telling HR i was not available and i was let go......turned down a 300 miles week driving nurse job and one that wanted me to do 40 hours wk then to be on call Mon -Mon and do-cases admits visits after 9-5 and weekends...so 40 hrs ( 5 days) then evenings then all wk end and another 40 hours with no flextime........just ridicules stuff.......

i would stay an LPN/LVN and do days somewhere like doctor office....once they took away 8 hour shifts, stopped letting nurses be on committees, took diploma nurse off-floor and clinical of nurse went to labs only and foriegn nurses flooded market....nursing has never been the same

Overwork underpaid and appreciated you have to stand your ground or you’ll be taking advantage of our hospital. The nurse to patient ratio is usually very high.

Bad manager

Other than relocating, retiring (early or at standard age), or taking a hiatus due to family needs, I believe that Nursing is not exempt from the same issues found in other industries and fields. I have read in various credentialed blogs, articles, and professional feeds, that the single most common reason, across the board, that an employee leaves a job is A BAD BOSS. That's why I left my workplace of 22 years, because I found myself trapped in a toxic environment with a manager, who was by no means a "leader", who blocked my transfers (positions for which I was top pick) and did everything she could to sabotage me for petty, personal reasons. I had more managers than I barely count over all those years, very diverse individuals, but this one was a poison pill. (Ironically, her predecessor, who took a manager position in another department, loved me and awarded me Nurse of the Year!) I somehow survived nearly six years under her uninspiring regime, then I couldn't. It takes guts to start over when you should be envisioning a well earned retirement on the horizon. I had to do it, couldn't take anymore. I know now I'm as just as resilient and capable as I was in my youth. I've been in my current position approaching three years. My goal is to work three more years, then retire.

Staffing, unsupportive and unavailable managers. And the other staff contributes to the field of the unit. I’m not gonna continue to work in an unsupported angry environment.

Find something you love to do and don’t worry about the money. That’s what I’ve heard anyway. I’m trying to figure out what that “thing” is for me as well.

Unfortunately, I must say my nurse colleagues. They made my life miserable and I was very stressed and had anxiety very time I had to go to work. And I must add the nursing administration plays a big part too.

harressment, it fid nt redolve norvdecrease. I n fact, worsen after spoke management, all the circle minions.. simple and very blunt answer. This was premier hospitals. or i ve accept jon, 85-95% quit includes perm staff..
and ask interbiew why leave...its a very tricky question and answer...speak truth damn do

Lack of support from staff and poor security

I quit because the Director offered me an hourly wage for a PRN position that was less than the wage I was making for my full time position. Also, she allowed bullying by one of the male nurses because he shamelessly flirted with her. The male nurse was eventually fired before he bullied a doctor. That doctor went to HR and he was fired on the spot. I was already gone by the time that happened. Because of that, he was unable to get a job in any of the surrounding hospitals. He ended up in an office somewhere. Karma

Iam a Physician by profession, I migrated in the U.S.,and already on my 40's ,no work ,try NCLEX and passed ,but hard for me to adjust from MD to RN,A specialist with a position to RN, its hard for me,might try something non medical

Horrible management.

Well let me just start off by saying that am and have been a trauma/adrenaline junky. Loved the fast paced time I spent in the emergency department in Detroit. Almost 29 years. Nurses will always be. Have always been and their likely to continue this behaviour as time passes

Some days we had 2 nurses to more than 20 patient ratio. But we persevered and made it through another shift.

As the pandemic hit and was starting to show its true self… I realized that I was the only nurse for more than 8 ventilated ICU patients and more than 10 emergent and /or critical.
Totally unacceptable. Unsafe. Dangerous and CRIMINAL!!!

So I am only 50. Have so much more to learn and teach others. So much more to share with the newer nursing community I live and breathe trauma. And this level one trauma center was my home
Lv

Toxic work environment. I was middle management. The ones I managed don’t want to come to work, come in late if they showed up at all, and left in the middle of the shift without asking. And administration kept telling me I needed to be a better supervisor!

The toxicity from patients, family members, co workers, and admin.

Toxic work environment, bullying, degrading. Even when brought to supervisors attention about bullying for over a year, nothing was done. Then they found a reason to get rid of me instead.
KM

Poor moral

Hospital management and a crazy ex-coworker who followed me around EVERYWHERE

LACK OF PAY-LACK OF ADVANCEMENT-NURSING/HEALTHCARE TONIC MANAGEMENT!!
SERIOUSLY, 1997, I WAS WRITTEN UP FOR SAVING A PATIENTS LIFE!! TOXIC ANGRY STAFF!!!

I have always resigned only after securing my next job and with the appropriate amount of notice ……EXCEPT ONE TIME. I was working for a very prominent home health agency in the area reviewing OASIS assessments for accuracy before they were submitted. Since I was not the one who completed the assessment I couldn’t tell the clinician how to score their assessment, but if the assessment answers did not follow OASIS guidance or didn’t match the other documentation and narrative It was my job to communicate with the clinician to seek clarification and provide education to encourage them to change the answer. However, even if it was a blatant mistake such as a quad being scored as walking without assistance), in the end if the clinician refused to change the answer that was the final word. I worked there for about 4 months and once they felt I had settled in and apparently drank the koolaid they started directing me to change answers without the approval of the clinician. Strangely enough the only ones they wanted changed were the ones that were associated with reimbursement. When you don’t follow the instructions you get treated like an outsider or worse.

All that being said, I felt very strongly that this process was not ethical and quite without full notice (30 days required for the position) while not knowing if I would have a job lined up before my notice was up. First and only time I did that. I can deal with difficult coworkers or most of the time an unreasonable admin, but I refuse to lose my license for something like that.

Do what your gut tells you!!

Exploring different places to work at and learning new specialties

I left and retired at 65. I would have stayed in the NICU, but we got this new Genesis charting program that was too difficult to use. We had some very sick and chronic babies at the time and the new charting slowed me down. I worked there for 27 years. So sad that that stressed me out so much that I left!

Poor management, young in-matured managers. Nothing wrong with being young but when you have no control over emotions and your ego gets to your head without any managerial training whatsoever! It’s hard

Bullying and toxic environment

Staffing decline, increased patient ratios. Not being able to adequately care for my patients safely

Toxic work environment! Management only cares about the doctors. Management allows Doctors to behave poorly and justifies it as “they are busy.”

Moving out of the area.

Injuries due to intentional short staffing

Covid

Poor management, low pay, nurse:patient too high.

Hay not in balance with workload. Stressful deal with different different health issue cases

Wanting to go back to work in a hospital setting.

I’m considering changing health systems because at my current job when the go over budget the first place they look is to cut nurse wages.

Burnout. Compassion fatigue. Moral injury.
I have had the wonderful pleasure of working for several great management teams.
I left a job with FANTASTIC management because I’ve seen too much, been through too much, needed a break.

Husband’s health issues

We had to get the COVID shot or they'll take us off schedule and I wanted to take care of my little ones. I'm glad I left bedside because God provided a WFH part time job.

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.

I am working on quitting nursing because I don't feel that I'm adding value and quality of life to my patients. The ratios are too much, too much turn over, and I am not seeing empathy coming from newer employees. I got my Board Certification as a Holistic Health Practitioner and am working on transitioning to holistic coaching or working with a wholefood company in the PDR.

Been a nurse since 1981. It has been a struggle for hospitals to maintain profits for business and yet the HMOs made it worse and they had to find ways to balance, however it affected staffing and that became like a revolving door in my experience in California. They push you to take patients and hurry a discharge so in my opinion patient teaching has suffered and it’s liability on you. It used to be a fun career.

change in management, toxic managers

Coworkers who were rude, backstabbing, lazy, gossipy Mean Girls. And management that refused to do anything about it.

I had personally transitioned out of bedside nursing in a hospital due to the hours I had to work. I was unable to get any Day positions at the time that I was working in the hospital. The second reason that I left was because I had children and the pay was not enough, when you had in daycare commute and other expenses. The third reason that I left the job was that I was recruited to try some thing completely outside the hospital that opened so many doors after I got over the fear factor of the unknown and I have never looked back , however, given the shortage of nurses that we have now I feel it is my duty experience. Clinician to go back to into the hospital setting. This time I have stopped and made a pivot from critical care ICU to the OR which I love after working there for many years as a surgical device rep because I need to make sure I’m very well rounded nurse that has all the skills and knowledge necessary, I have focused on looking for an RN fellowship, which is for nurses that have experience however they wish to change their specialties . I have over 30 years of experiences in RN, but I would like to see that as nurses we can get back that spark we used to have before Covid changed everyone’s life.

Mental health is not considered enough in the workplace, stress, and the"bottom line" became priority over everything else.

Whenever I have quit my job, I have done so because I get tired of the work - it becomes boring. The beauty of nursing is there so many options and so many different fields. If you get bored doing bedside MedSurg, you can move onto hospice or home health. If you get bored doing hospice, you can go to G.I. lab. The average job expectancy of a MedSurg nurse is 2 to 3 years tops. Managers don’t have it as easy as everyone thinks either. They have one the hardest jobs in the hospital and don’t get compensated as most are salaried. They are expected to come in and work when there is no staff on days off even after putting in 60 plus hours. Bedside nurses at least have the luxury of saying no thank you when a staffing need arises not so much for managers.

Racism

For some nurses. I believe that it's because of burnout. Nursing is hard and it wears on the body. Sometimes you really just need the change to remind you how much you really love your job. For others, leaving is about growing as a nurse. To become a better nurse and learn something new. Some just can't be stagnant in their environments.

Management and having to appease your peers having to be a Disney character To work with your peers

Environments mostly and the last job I felt like I was working too hard. It was way too much stress. My nervous system was a mess, so I picked me & resigned effective immediately!

x

I left because "The Powers That Be" were ignorant (ignoring what was right), bullies and lazy. How they were not fired is beyond me...maybe it also had to do with someone tacking up a black pair of panties to a bulletin board in a shutdown ICU unit, and night after night not being able to find the night supervisor....maybe it had to do with the "other" supervisor taking Dexadrine to stay awake, and acting Soooooo inappropriate with the staff, or my fellow staff member working 3 back to back 12 hour shifts in 3 separate hospitals falling asleep during charting, or the time a doctor tried bullying me into giving 150 of Demerol and I refused, stating it was against policy to overdose a patient no matter how BIG they were, and calling the night supervisor who did it anyway and the patient had to be admitted for a BP drop---or a married doctor following me home and wanting to come into my apartment at the end of my shift--and was angry at work the next day because I turned him down...ok lets stop....I left nursing because I was stupid enough to think what I did made a difference. Ha!

I stepped down from management and went per diem clinically. Management is caught in the middle of admin-
istration and staff. Much less stress BUT working as staff, even per diem and being in nursing for all these years, I am ready to leave the bedside. I work in Psych......tough enough.
Right? and in reality hospitals think they own us. I am honestly ready to leave the IP setting even doing per diem.

Stress! I’ve worked bedside for over 10 years and I am so over it! Not due to the patients, it’s never them. But the micro management, admin, and being so overworked and understaffed and underpaid makes it highly not work it

Burnout has consistently been my primary reason for leaving nursing positions. The profession's demanding nature, characterized by extended shifts, intense stress, and emotional strain, has led me to experience burnout multiple times throughout my career. When I found myself emotionally exhausted, physically drained, and lacking fulfillment in my work, there were occasions where I made the decision to resign to prioritize my well-being and pursue a better balance between work and personal life.

We need to rise up and say down with endless online learning modules that have no correlation to the unit. Endless irrelevant emails and meetings. This is why nurses travel….you be a great nurse and go home. Staff? More work, less pay.

Bedside nursing is too stressful. Nurses get taken advantage of. iCU nurses don’t get paid enough to do half of the doctors work

Poor life-work balance, Micromanagement, and inadequate safety for staff and patients.

I loved bedside nursing 37 plus years and would still be there today but left because of my nurse manager. She lacked empathy unless you were one of her favorites. Complained to HR regarding my situation and they did nothing. They sat there and listened but did nothing. Attempted to speak with DON who won't return my calls. So I just retired. Sad the hospital lost a dedicated nurse

Managers who only see black and white and talk at you, not to you. Other nurses who will not lend a hand when you’re drowning or have questions. My boss writing in my annual review, that goes in my employee file, that I’m a burden on the other nurses.

Retired from nursing after nearly 40 years and a very successful career in mental health, rehab, clinical reimbursement and eventually regional management. I worked through 2 years of COVID and the mask mandates, telehealth etc.
When I was being forced to be "immunized" with a product we all know now what many of us knew THEN (not a true safe measure for all) I realized it was time for me to leave the profession.

Management was poor and nurses hated the environment making every day miserable for all.

Retirement :)

I haven't left yet but a 30 to 1 ratio is very unsafe! I was raised never to quit... Now I am dehydrated ,gray hair ,balding and have no testosterone left.

Out of the last 10?
Twice was family situations
restless/burn out twice
unsafe/felt license was at risk four times
promotion if changed facilities once
travel company unable to find placement where I wanted to go once.
All but 3 times, pay raises helped with the final decision.
This has been in a twelve year span. I've come to realize I'm a nomad at heart, and if there comes a way in the next few years for me to travel in some form, I'll jump at the chance, it's just not feasible at the moment

I'm a nurse of 17 years...on dialysis for 6. I left the job after using the arm with the graft to keep a pt from falling and they still wouldn't give me reasonable accommodations. I had to declot that morning at Vascular surgery after working 12 hours and THEN go to dialysis.

I left nursing, the profession, due to probably mainly burnout and it just not being something I could handle more than 3 days per week, but the icing on the cake was when the governing body of our profession were trying to threaten/intimidate us losing our registration if we spread "Mis"information regarding a particular agenda that was obviously not in the best interest of clients or health professionals. I take the code of ethics seriously, and I also would rather die than do anything that would harm people. I am in IT now and I am so so so glad that I left. I am so glad that I studied, in my 30s as a single mother at the time, with not many people believing in me. I am now working in the best job I've ever had because I believed that anything was possible with G-d and hard work. Don't settle for less than!!

Overworked and underpaid! Im contemplating leaving nursing. Sorry, I wish I could be more positive

Jab mandates.

retired

Career advancement and family

I’m thinking very seriously about leaving the profession entirely. I’m burned out on psych and I seem to be blacklisted for anything else because psych is the only place I have any experience.

Illegally Taxed by an Agency acting poorly as a fiduciary for illegal taxation that IRS & DOR must stay away.
Had an awesome work environment that I liked but many others may not in corrections. Was getting the care to the clients well and doing as much as was asked. The supervisors were awesome and were at a distance from me as I would get everything completed well.
The Agency started taking out taxes illegally like they were tax experts with jurisdiction as they acted like I was corporate or commerce. I left a good position doing everything fun with Patient Nurse Care like I was on the playground having much fun. Call me a National if you like.

Parents or spouse aging and having major medical issues.

Pay

Family

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma but did have a 45 year nursing career
I was going to retire in a year
The hospital environment was changing rapidly and management heavy We had managers that do know our jobs and trying to control us more and more

Unsafe pt to nurse ratios. Taking my med nurse at a psych hospital and leaving g me alone and not telling me I wasn't getting another nurse but in fact telling me the opposite and I had 2 units combined into 1. So 21 pt with the possibility of 2 admissions.

Staff members were very mean and I didn't feel safe. Especially when I brought it up to management I was told "They aren't mean." Yes, yes they are. I wouldn't waste my time talking to the manager if there wasn't an issue. Even patients noticed how the cliq talked to those of us outsiders.