Factors Associated with Nursing Students' Intention to Leave the Nursing Profession during their Final Clinical Practicum: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background The nursing workforce shortage is a global problem, and nursing students represent a critical source for sustaining the nursing workforce. Understanding the reasons why nursing students choose to leave the nursing profession rather than entering the workforce is a critical issue. Aims The aims of this study were to: (1) examine stress level, quality of sleep, work value, professional commitment, and nursing students' perceptions of transition ease as they prepare to enter the profession, and (2) identify factors associated with intention to leave the nursing profession during their final clinical practicum. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. Convenient sampling was employed to recruit 119 nursing students at a university in northern Taiwan from August 2022 to July 2023. Questionnaires were collected in the fourth week of nursing students' final clinical practicum. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with nursing students' intentions to leave the nursing profession. Results Participants had a moderate degree of stress and work value toward the nursing profession. Most participants (81.5%) had poor sleep quality during their final clinical practicum. Most participants (88.2%) perceived that transitioning from nursing students to professional nurses was not easy. Some participants (36.1%) intended to leave the nursing profession. Gender, work stress, sleep quality, and professional commitment were significant predictors of nursing students' intention to leave the nursing profession, explaining 34.1% of the total variance. Conclusions More than one-third of participants expressed intentions to leave the nursing profession during their final clinical practicum. This alarming trend necessitates that nursing educators and nurse managers collaboratively develop evidence-based effective strategies to support and motivate nursing students during this critical transition period before entering the workforce.