Danish Register Study Shows 13% of New Hospital Nurses Exit Within Six Years With Rising Sick Leave Pre-Departure

The study followed graduates from first employment for six years, matching on age, sex, prior healthcare use and other covariates. Hospital-based nurses showed elevated health events early, before cumulative wear-and-tear could explain outcomes. Among the 13% who left hospital work, long-term sick leave and mental health diagnoses rose in the two years before exit then declined afterward, indicating selective attrition rather than broad recovery.

This pattern aligns with earlier UK and US cohort data showing nurse burnout trajectories begin within 24 months of qualification. The Danish findings add register-level precision on back disorders and demonstrate that studies restricted to stayers underestimate risk. Economic models project that each early exit costs hospitals 1.5–2 times annual salary in recruitment and training.

Remaining questions include whether targeted ergonomic or scheduling interventions reduce the 2.8-point sick-leave gap and whether similar patterns appear in systems without Denmark’s universal registers. Next studies need prospective RCTs of retention packages with primary endpoints of sustained employment and validated health measures at five years.