Nurse Turnover Issues: Effective Approaches to Leadership & Management

Effective Approaches to Leadership and Management

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Program Name or Degree Name (e.g., Master of Science in Nursing), Walden University
COURSE XXX: Title of Course
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Month XX, 202X
Effective Approaches to Leadership and Management in Addressing Nurse Turnover Issues
Introduction
Nurses are the backbone of any modern public health system. In the United States, it is the largest healthcare profession with more than 3.8 million registered nurses, out of which up to 85% are employed in nursing (AACN, 2019). According to projections by the federal government, 200,000 new registered nursing positions are expected to be created annually between 2016 and 2026 because of the increased demand for nurses against a shortage in supply. One fundamental problem this annual generation of new positions is supposed to solve in the nursing profession is the problem of nurse turnover. While the federal government may provide long-term plans and solutions from an external point of view, nursing leadership and management also have a role in addressing turnover issues.
Causes, Prevalence, and Impact of Nurse Turnover on Care Quality and Safety
Nurse turnover occurs when a nurse chooses to leave an organization. There are many reasons nurses may go to an organization, including retirement, changing of the profession, or desire to work in a different organization. Other causes of turnover may include pressure due to understaffing, work burnout, feeling underappreciated, and the toll of hard and straining mental and physical labor. Thus, the nurse turnover rate is the frequency with which nurses choose to leave the organizations they are currently working. A 2020 report by the National Healthcare Retention and RN Staffing indicated an average turnover rate of 17.8% per year. More interesting, in 2015 alone, the average hospital turned over 89% of its workforce (Colosi, 2021). Because of its impact, nurse turnover is a problem for nursing leadership and management and for the entire public health system.
A high rate of nurse turnover significantly influences a health organization. It disturbs hospital services because there is a consistent change in staff, impeded staffing processes as HR departments are always looking to hire and replace, and eats into hospital revenues. In other words, nurse turnover increases cost through activities like recruitment and training. The loss of ...