Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1212411
18 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com January 13–February 17, 2020 WHY IS NURSE TURNOVER A PROBLEM? A ccording to a 2019 staffing report compiled by the recruitment firm NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc., 2018 saw the highest hospital turnover rates in over a decade. Bedside RN turnover reached 17.2 percent in 2018, with an average vacancy rate of 8.0 percent. Between 2014 and 2018, the average hospital turned over 87.8 percent of its entire workforce! This revolving door is expensive. NSI reports that the average cost of bedside RN turnover in 2018 was $52,100 per position. On aver- age, each percentage point increase in RN turnover costs a hospital an extra $328,400! High rates of resignations and new hires can quickly make a healthcare business unsustainable. There are also significant non-financial downsides, such as unit disruption and the loss of institutional knowledge and experience. A 2017 Forbes article noted that Millennials often leave jobs within two to five years. Recently, the RN Work Project found that 17 percent of newly licensed RNs change jobs within one year. Thirty-three percent of them move on after two years. Within eight years, 60 percent of new RNs have left their jobs. Retirement of older, more experienced nurses is also a growing concern. Offer Meaningful Benefits ✲ People want to work for an organization that works for them. Look at other hospitals around your area, check out their compensation packages and see if they are in line with what your hospital is currently offering. Are you competitive? If you're a manager, you may not have any control over "big- ticket" items like salary or health insurance plans, but if you think outside the box, you might find other ways to make your unit a more attractive workplace. ● Their birthday as paid time off each year? ● Less on-call time if they need it? ● Flexibility to tackle some work (and continuing ed) at home? ● Free education conference days? Recognize Your Staff ✲ Take time to recognize the great things that your nurses are doing every day. Hold a huddle before each shift to compliment staff members who received positive patient feed- back, address any updates on unit improvements, and share other motivating and positive news. REASONS TO STAY G iven the high cost of turnover, hospital administrators, educators, and healthcare teams are all looking for ways to better support nurses and encourage them to stay with their current institution. There's no one answer, but here are six strategies that go a long way towards addressing the problem: Hire the Right People ✲ The interview process is the first step in determining if someone is the right fit for your unit — and if your unit is the right fit for them. (It has to be a two-way street!) It's also your opportunity to set clear expectations for prospective employees. Try asking open-ended behavioral interview questions that go beyond clinical skills. These areas include: ● Communication ● Teamwork and collaboration ● Problem-solving ● Leadership ● Time management ● Responses to challenges, stress or pressure. Asking the right questions during the interview process can help you select candidates who are more likely to stick around (as well as identifying future leaders of your group). Could you offer your employees: