title: Why do older RNs keep working?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the reasons older RNs (≥45 years) remain in the healthcare workforce.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Despite predictions of early retirements of older nurses, many continue to work past the age when they can gain access to their retirement funds.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors surveyed nurses older than 45 years in New South Wales, Australia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The need for income was the most common reason for staying in nursing (61.9%; n = 210), with nearly 43% (n = 130) identifying this as the main reason for staying.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Retaining older nurses in the workforce is an important strategy for managing workforce shortages. Nurse executives will need to consider strategies that will enhance retention of older nurses and focus on the reasons older nurses want to keep working.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Doctoral Candidate (Ms Graham), Emerita Professor (Dr Donoghue), Faculty of Health, and Director (Dr Duffield), Deputy Director (Dr Bichel-Findlay), and Project Coordinator (Ms Dimitrelis), Centre for Health Services Management, University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales; and Professor (Dr Duffield), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia; Professor (Dr Griffiths), School of Nursing, Family and Community Health, University of Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Donoghue
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duffield
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: Jen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bichel-Findlay
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dimitrelis
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002321:Career Choice; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D012179:Retirement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D012931:Social Environment; D016526:Workload