Background: An employee's strengths and flaws are revealed through the performance appraisal system, empowering and assisting them in making decisions about his career and intend to depart. Aim: Assess the effect of current performance appraisal system on staff nurses intent to leave and empowerment. Design: Descriptive correlational Setting: Main Assiut University hospital and Al-Eman Health governorate hospital. Study subjects: convenient sample (n=540) Nursing staff were employed at setting previously stated. Study tools: Three tools were used, Tool 1: Contains 1st part Personal data sheet with Personal characteristics, 2nd part: Performance Appraisal System Questionnaire, Tool II: Nurses' Empowerment Questionnaire, Tool III: Intent to leave Questionnaire. Results: The highest mean scores of performance appraisal perception were related to fairness of performance, there was a statistically significant positive association between the empowerment and departure intention of staff nurses. Conclusion: Greater than two thirds of the study subjects had high perception of current performance evaluation system and most of them empowered and the great majority of them hadn’t intent to leave. Recommendation: Use performance appraisal system to be compatible with Egyptian sustainable development goals.