Is COVID‐19 the straw that broke the back of the emergency nursing workforce?

OBJECTIVES: To explore the intentions of Australian emergency nurses to remain in or leave emergency nursing after the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: Sub-study of a survey of Australian emergency nurses about the impact of COVID-19 on their work, life and career. This sub-study focused on future career intentions, especially intentions to remain in or leave emergency nursing. RESULTS: There were 398 eligible responses. 48.2% of respondents reported that they intended to leave emergency nursing within 5 years. Nurses in EDs who received COVID positive patients were more likely to express an intention to leave ED nursing (P = 0.016). Having directly cared for a COVID positive patient was not statistically associated with intention to leave ED nursing (P = 0.17). Excluding nurses aged >60 years, there was no statistical difference in expressed intention to leave ED nursing between age groups (P = 0.32), nurses with/without a higher qualification (P = 0.32) or number of years in ED nursing (P = 0.54). Intention to leave emergency nursing was associated with not feeling more connected to their emergency nursing colleagues (P = 0.03), the broader ED team (P = 0.008) and their organisation (P = 0.03) since the onset of the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that approximately 1 year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, a high proportion of ED nurses intend to leave ED nursing within 5 years, which will exacerbate pre-existing shortages. Active strategies to address this are urgently needed.