Year:
Applicant:
Trainee:
Institution:
Email:
gretac@ualberta.ca
Keywords:
allied health professionals
early retirement
health human resources
Registered Nurses (RNs)
workforce planning
Project ID:
161001
Approved Project Status:
Project Summary
Why do health professionals, specifically Registered Nurses (RNs) and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), retire early? The availability of health professionals to deliver health care services is fundamental to the health of a population; health care decisions-makers cannot neglect to investigate early retirement among health professionals. The purpose of this study is determine whether RNs and AHPs differ in their approach to workforce departures. This study has four objectives: 1) Develop and validate conceptual models of factors that influence retirement decisions among health professionals- one for early retirement and one for involuntary retirement; 2) Describe workforce participation among Canadian RNs and AHPs; 3) Analyze the model of early retirement among health professionals using Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) data, and; 4)Analyze the model of involuntary retirement using CLSA data. This study will be the first to explicitly explore similarities and differences in RN and AHP processes of retirement decision-making.
Project Findings
We developed literature-derived conceptual models of early and involuntary retirement among Registered Nurses and Allied Health Professionals. We qualitatively tested the models’ face validity and conducted logistic regression analysis with selected model variables using the outcomes of early retirement and involuntary retirement, respectively. We found that Registered Nurses and Allied Health Professionals, on average, retire before age 60; organizational restructuring increases odds of early retirement for Registered Nurses and Allied Health Professionals; financial possibility and caregiving requirements increase odds of early retirement among Registered Nurses; poorer self-rated general health was the only significant predictor of involuntary retirement; and, much remains unknown about Registered Nurses’ and Allied Health Professionals’ retirement decision-making.