Among qualified nurses, 6 out of 10 could consider returning to the profession
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2017-02-07 9.30
About 8 percent of all trained nurses work outside health and social care, in a profession other than nursing. About 6 out of 10 of these could consider returning to work as a nurse in health and social care.
The most important factors for those who could consider returning include a higher salary, more opportunity to control their work situation and a more reasonable workload in relation to working hours.
There is a shortage of nurses, and a majority of all employers in health and social care expect the shortage to increase further over the next few years. In 2014, there were about 111 000 people under 65 years of age with nursing degrees in Sweden. Among these, about 8 percent worked in occupations other than nursing, outside the health and social care sector.
In autumn 2016, Statistics Sweden carried out a questionnaire survey with the aim of identifying the reasons that had led people with nursing degrees to leave the nursing profession, and what could bring them to return.
Limited possibility to control the work situation
The most common reason stated for leaving the nursing profession was the limited possibility to control the work situation, which about 60 percent felt contributed entirely or to a large extent to their decision. About 50 percent stated that the workload in relation to working hours played a large or entirely decisive role in their decision. Approximately 45 percent stated that psychological strain, such as stress, was entirely decisive or contributed to a large extent to their decision. The same percentage listed poor leadership as a reason. Approximately 50 percent also considered that the salary in relation to the workload was entirely or to a large extent a contributing reason.
Mixed hours
About 40 percent of those who worked mixed hours stated that working hours contributed entirely or to a large extent to them leaving their last employment as a nurse. The corresponding proportion among those who only worked nights was about 25 percent, and it was lowest among those who only worked days, barely 5 percent.
Proportion of potential returnees higher among young people
About 65 percent of those between 25 and 49 years could consider returning to the nursing profession. The corresponding proportion among those aged 50 to 65 years was lower – about 50 percent. The most important factors for those who could consider returning included a higher salary, more opportunity to control their work situation and a more reasonable workload in relation to working hours. Between 70 percent and 80 percent stated that each one of these three factors plays a large or entirely decisive role in any decision they would make to return to the nursing profession.
Definitions and explanations
The results come from the questionnaire survey “Nurses’ career paths” carried out in September to November 2016. The survey included people with a Swedish nursing education who worked as a nurse in health and social care some time between 2005 and 2013, but who subsequently left the profession and the industry. The aim of the survey is to identify the reasons that contribute to people with a nursing degree choosing another profession outside health and social care, and what might bring them back. There were 4 206 persons participating in the survey.
Qualified nurse: A person with a Degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing from 2013 or earlier.
Nursing profession: A person with the occupational title ‘nurse’. This corresponds to the three-number occupational classifications 222 and 223 in the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations (SSYK) 2012.
Human health and social care: Industry code Q, Human health and social work activities: social work activities, which includes groups 86, 87 and 88 according to the Swedish Standard for Industry Classification (SNI) 2007.
Publication
A more detailed report of this survey is published in the Theme Report Nurses outside the profession.
Further information presented in Excel tables.
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.