Giving Voice to Registered Nurses' Decisions to Work

The purpose of this paper was to give voice to the concerns of registered nurses (RNs) who wrote comments on a survey about RNs' intent to work. Each comment (n = 472) was analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes describe RNs' reflections on working: ( a) competing priorities, (b) balancing priorities, (c) practice deterrents, and (d) collegial support encourages nurses to stay in practice. Understanding these reflections gives insight into the complexity of decisions to work and the RNs' struggle to practice. With this insight, RNs may consider decisions about their work throughout their job trajectories that may foster a more fulfilling nursing career.