Distinct workforce activation states among licensed US nurses outside nursing employment

The study analyzed licensed registered nurses (RN) in the USA who are not employed in nursing. From a representative sample of 7,744 respondents representing 869,236 licensed RNs, it was found that 44.4% have no future intention to work in nursing, 25.6% are undecided, 14.6% have already returned or entered work, 10.7% plan future entry or return, and 4.7% are actively seeking employment. Retirement was associated with a 27 percentage point higher risk that a nurse would not want to work. Family caregiving was associated with a higher intention to return to work. Burnout, stressful work, inadequate staffing, and poor management were concentrated in the undecided group. The study concluded that the licensed nonworking nursing workforce represents a stratified labor reserve and workforce planning should measure activation state before considering capacity as available supply.