Should I Stay or Should I Go?: Nursing License Renewal Decisions in Iowa

Using data on licensing of registered nurses (RNs) in Iowa and results of a labor-market survey sent to a subsample of the database, we investigate the factors influencing the decision to renew a nursing license or not. A disproportionate share of those who donï¾’t renew do so due to retirement; indeed, 80 percent of Iowa RNs reach 30 years of tenure before letting their licenses expire. Age is the strongest predictor of whether nurses will renew their licenses and wage is only marginally important. Overall, decisions to stay in nursing are not sensitive to household responsibilities, residential location, or compensation.