Availability of health professionals is fundamental to population health. Multiple trends contribute to provider shortages. Purpose: Develop and validate conceptual models of early and involuntary retirement among registered nurses (RNs) and allied health professionals (AHPs). Method: A review of retirement literature (n = 23 studies). Any factor reported as predictive of early or involuntary retirement was incorporated into a model. To achieve face validity, we conducted interviews with Canadian RNs/AHPs (n = 14). Results: The conceptual model of early retirement had eight categories (38 variables): workplace characteristics, socio-demographics, attitudes/beliefs, broader context, organizational factors, family, lifestyle/health, and work-related. The model of involuntary retirement had four categories (eight variables): broader context, socio-demographics, lifestyle/health, and family. Caregiving responsibilities (variable) was added based on interview data. Discussion: RNs/AHPs consider many factors when contemplating retirement; some are sensitive to intercession, which generates possibilities for extending the work lives of older RNs and AHPs.

The association of health and disability factors on the perception of involuntary retirement in Canada was investigated with a multivariate logistic regression analysis of the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey data. The study investigated the role that choice or control plays in the decision to retire. Study participants were adults, with disabilities, aged 45 to 74 and who retired during the period 2001–2006. The analysis revealed that health at the time of retirement was not significantly associated with the perception of involuntary retirement, whereas disability characteristics were strongly associated with the type of retirement when health and other characteristics were controlled. Further, persons with disabilities who had to permanently retire because of their condition were eight times more likely to retire involuntarily than those whose conditions did not force involuntary retirement, suggesting the importance that control over the retirement decision has on the perception of involuntary retirement.