Have I ever thought about leaving nursing ?

Goodare's (2017) article accurately portrayed the reasons why nurses are currently leaving the bedside, at least from my personal experiences.  Within my institution, we are losing some of our most experienced nurses due to the ageing workforce.  Some of them, return as retired resource nurses to help the new generation of nurses through the current hardships that may push them out of the profession.   The role of the retired resource helps alleviate challenges such as higher patient load, lack of support, lack of proper education or training, which are all contributing to a greater intention to leave from a younger generation (Goodare, 2017).  

Personally, with 11 years under my belt as a RN, I have not thought about leaving the profession itself.  I have however, left 3 different employers, but not necessarily for the reasons illustrated in Goodare (2017) article such as lack of organizational support, higher acuity or burnout.  My first employer was in a small rural town where I grew up.  I started my career here but then it was time to spread my wings and move away and be on my own.  I then found an employer I enjoyed in Ottawa, but again had to leave due to my husband employment.  Now, I have been with my current employer for 3 years with no intention of leaving, however all the reasons shared in the article or the video have crossed my mind as challenges, but not issues that would actively force me out of the workforce.  Perhaps this is because I passed the threshold of the junior nurse that was described by Goodare.  For me, I have invested enough of my personal time to develop myself to be the nurse I am today, I would not just want to throw it away, but I would fully support a colleague who could not continue on in nursing due to the challenges we face daily, and will continue to face for the foreseeable future. The other reason I may not have thought about leaving is because I have worked in different organizations, which has kept things interesting and fresh up to date.