[Stay in, dropout of and re-entry into the nursing profession of nurses under the aspect of specific types of nursing professionals in Austria]. / Berufsverbleib, -wiedereinstieg und -ausstieg diplomierter Pflegender in Osterreich unter Berücksichtigung spezifischer Berufsgruppen.

BACKGROUND: In Austria, a short to very short employment period of registered nurses has been recognised. On closer inspection, however, one can see that there is hardly any scientific data available on this topic. AIM: The aim of the study was to gather data on the duration of the employment period andto investigate the reasons for the stay in, dropout of, and re-entry into the profession by registered nurses in Austria. Another objective was to find out whether there are correlations between specific individual types of registered nurses and their professional careers. METHOD: Registered nurses, who obtained their nursing degree in Austria between 1965 and 2003, were surveyed through a questionnaire that had been elaborated within the framework of a focus group. RESULTS: The analysis revealed a considerably longer stay than reported in German-speaking literature. Furthermore, we were able to identify five different types of individuals with regard to the stay in, dropout of and re-entry into the nursing profession.