The Impact of Nurse Turnover

 

Nicole Leftenant

College of Central Florida

NUR4837- Healthcare Policies and Economics

Dr. Welch

09/15/2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Impact of Nursing Staff Turnover on Quality of Patient Care

            Nurse turnover can be described as the action of nursing staff leaving or transferring within an organization (What Does Nurse Turnover Rate Mean and What Is the Rate? | Request PDF, n.d.). When an organization is experiencing an increased turnover rate, it affects not only the staff but the quality of patient care as well. Nurse turnover affects nursing staff tremendously by causing current staff to have to either work extra and/or longer shifts, or even potentially deal with an increased nurse-patient ratio both of which can lead to nurse burnout. A decrease in staffing due to turnover ultimately affects patient care. Studies have shown that hospitals with a high rate of turnover had experienced an increase in patient mortality and adverse outcomes (To Improve Healthcare Quality Outcomes, We Must Focus on Turnover, 2021). With inadequate staffing patients are at a higher risk to experience adverse events and decreased outcomes.

Impact of Nursing Staff Turnover on Healthcare System Costs

            Not only does nurse turnover affect nursing staff and patients, but it also has an effect on the healthcare system itself due to the cost of losing nursing staff, and constantly having to hire new staff. The average cost of a turnover nurse is $37,700 to $58,400 with hospitals losing up to  $5.2 million to $8.1 million annually (To Improve Healthcare Quality Outcomes, We Must Focus on Turnover, 2021). In 2015, nurse turnover rates were at a high of 17.2% for bedside nurses and were only expected to further rise (To Improve Healthcare Quality Outcomes, We Must Focus on Turnover, 2021. Furthermore, it can sometimes take up to ninety days to fill a vacant nursing position within an organization, greatly affecting its cost operation.

 

 

 

Impact of Nursing Staff Turnover on Organizational Culture and Nursing Engagement

            It is difficult to determine whether organizational culture affects nurse turnover, or vise versa, or even a combination of both. It is important to understand that nurse turnover has a tremendous impact on organizational culture as well as nursing engagement. When nurse turnover rates are increased, more stress is placed on health care staff which can impact the culture among staff. Increased turnover affects nursing engagement among their specific units and organizations. If units are understaffed, more burden is placed on the nursing staff with longer hours, increased nurse-patient ratios, and even mandatory overtime. All factors leading to burnout, and subsequent job dissatisfaction. Studies show that nurses practicing in good work environments are more likely to stay with their organization for longer periods of time. Good work environments are characterized by those with safe staffing levels, good communication and teamwork, and competent nurse managers (Brooks Carthon et al., 2019). With that, it is possible to decrease nurse turnover if environments of nursing staff are taken into consideration, and changes are made where need be.

Strategies to Reduce Nursing Staff Turnover and Impact Culture, Cost and Quality

            There are numerous strategies that should be taken into consideration to decrease nurse turnover, increase positivity and culture as well as decrease cost for organizations. One strategy that can be effective at increasing nurse retention is transition programs and preceptorships for new graduate RN’s. Additionally, creating an environment of open communication, teamwork, and collaboration can boost morale in a nursing unit further benefiting the organization. If nurses are satisfied with their positions nurse engagement will increase and organizations will have improved patient outcomes, as well as decreased costs due to nurse turnover. There are steps that can be taken to reduce nurse turnover, it takes teamwork and effort to improve the environment in which nurses are working.

           

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Brooks Carthon, J. M., Hatfield, L., Plover, C., Dierkes, A., Davis, L., Hedgeland, T., Sanders, A. M., Visco, F., Holland, S., Ballinghoff, J., Del Guidice, M., & Aiken, L. H. (2019). Association of Nurse Engagement and Nurse Staffing on Patient Safety. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 34(1), 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000334

Edwards-Dandridge, Y. (2019). Work Engagement, Job Satisfaction, and Nurse Turnover Intention. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6323/

Lockhart, L. (2020). Strategies to reduce nursing turnover. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 18(2), 56. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nme.0000653196.16629.2e

The High Cost of Nurse Turnover - University of New Mexico. (2016, November 30). University of New Mexico. https://rnbsnonline.unm.edu/articles/high-cost-of-nurse-turnover.aspx

To Improve Healthcare Quality Outcomes, We Must Focus on Turnover. (2021, April 1). Default. https://www.healthstream.com/resource/blog/to-improve-healthcare-quality-outcomes-we-must-focus-on-turnover

What Does Nurse Turnover Rate Mean and What Is the Rate? | Request PDF. (n.d.). ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265057015_What_Does_Nurse_Turnover_Rate_Mean_and_What_Is_the_Rate