Nurses' Intention to Leave the Profession and Its Related Factors: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Nurses are a vital element of the health care delivery system, and their shortage has a negative effect on the quality of patient care. Aim: This study was performed aimed to investigate nurses' intention to leave the profession (ITL) and its related factors. Method: This cross-sectional study was performed on 265 nurses working in the teaching hospitals of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from September 2020 to February 2021. Data was collected using demographic and researcher-made ITL questionnaires. Data were analyzed by SPSS (version 16). P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the 265 nurses surveyed, 154 (58.55%) intended to leave the profession. The total score of intention to leave the profession was 60.21±14.46. From the perspective of nurses, "lack of welfare facilities," "high workload," "high working hours," "lack of proper management processes," and "low income" have higher priority for the intention to leave the profession. There was a statistically significant relationship between the type of shift work (p<0.05) and the amount of income (P<0.001) with intention to leave the profession. Age, gender, and income were identified as the predictors of the nurses' intention to leave the profession (P<0.05). Implications for Practice: The intention to leave the profession is alarmingly high among Iranian nurses. Managers and policymakers can consider the factors identified in this study to diminish the nurses' intention to leave the profession.