Why Nurses Are Signing ‘Unresignation’ Letters

A nurse staffing community is encouraging nurses who left the profession or are considering an exit to recommit as part of a new “unResignation Notice” campaign. The campaign aims to spread awareness on the workplace challenges that contributed to nurses’ departures.

The campaign was launched by connectRN, a nurse staffing community that connects nurses with flexible job opportunities. It features an “unResignation” letter that’s already been signed by hundreds of nurses. The campaign aims to shed light on the realities that lead nurses to quit, and that many want to recommit to a healthcare industry that supports better work-life balance, flexibility and respect.

“Although countless nurses have decided to exit the industry, our aim is to not only emphasize how much they want to stay and to present a path forward that will work for everybody,” Ted Jeanloz, CEO of connectRN, said in a Jan. 9 news release. “We want nurses to feel like they’re being listened to, and that they have what they need to take care of not only their patients, but themselves.”

The president of the American Nurses Association said efforts to welcome back nurses who left or took a break should be a top priority for healthcare organizations in 2023.

“Nurses left during some very stressful and very hard times and we need to welcome them back,” Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, RN, told Becker’s in a recent interview. “I want to make sure that nurses don’t feel that because they left or they felt like they needed to leave because they were a bad nurse or they couldn’t make it or maybe because people thought they didn’t have enough resiliency,” she said, adding that she’d like to see metrics on the number of people who are returning to the profession.

(This story originally appeared in Becker’s Hospital Review.)