Aim: To describe reasons why nurse managers in perioperative settings decide to leave their employment.
Background: Current literature has shown that perioperative nurse managers' reasons to leave their positions are formed through an interaction of factors.
Methods: Individual in-depth interviews were performed with seven nurse managers, all women, in perioperative settings in Sweden. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation.
Results: Five key themes were identified: (a) to end where I started, as a frontline nurse; (b) I wanted to develop further to the next level in my career; (c) I ran out of ideas; (d) I lost trust in my head manager and did not believe in the new organisation and (e) I had had enough of being offended by my superior manager and my employees.
Conclusion: Nurse managers experienced feeling forced into a decision to leave because of being offended by their superiors or their employees. Furthermore, the findings indicate that nurse managers should be offered support from superior managers and the organisation together with time for discussions.
Implications in nursing management: The most essential element should be the influence of caritative leadership and the obvious expectation of being treated with dignity, respect and appreciation.
Keywords: dignity; leaving work; nurse manager; qualitative analysis.
© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Nursing Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.