The main cause for nursing shortage in the world is that nurses are withdrawing the profession. However few research has been carried out to prove this. This study investigates nurses' permanence in job and their motives for withdrawing it. Researchers tried to contact 1112 nurses who enrolled the profession after finishing the undergraduate nursing course at the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Brazil, in the period from 1957 to 1990. They were not able to contact 95 nurses (8.54%) from the total. Therefore, 1017 (91.46%) were contacted by mail, telephone or interview to answer a questionnaire, 808 (72.66%) answered, 194 (17.45%) did not reply, 4 (0.36%) refused to answer and 11 (0.99%) died, generating the following data: 19 (2.35%) never worked, 661 (81.81%) are working in the profession, 102 (12.62%) worked and withdrew nursing, 26 (3.22%) retired. Considering this group, the analysis showed that the percentage who left the profession is small, nevertheless other studies are suggested in order to enable the comparison of these results. The motives for their permanence are their attachment to the profession, even though they say that their work is not recognized and they are badly paid. The reasons for withdrawing the profession are family and personal problems as well as constant changes in the schedule and general frustration. In sum, nurses love their profession and would like to continue working. Some of them are returning and asking for better conditions.
nursing human resources; professional practice; job
