Nursing turnover is a problem that has caused nurse shortages in healthcare organizations. The orientation process that nurses receive during their initial entry to the healthcare unit matters a lot because it forms the foundation of the nurses in the healthcare unit. Nursing turnover leads to many costs. It leads to economic and non-economic losses. Nursing turnover results when a health organization loses a nurse and position creates a vacancy that requires filling. The changing economic times and competitive world, health organizations find concern because of the costs associated with nurse turnover. There are various causes of labor turnover. They include labor market conditions, boomer generation that proceeds for retirement, employment culture where the young generation changes jobs frequently. The current young generation does not grow with one organization.
This is a matter of concern to health organization because of the long term costs. The costs include the loss of talented nurses during times when the health organizations face challenges because of the current economy and the need to maintain experienced nurses is critical for thriving (Jones & Gates, 2007). Healthcare organizations report direct costs associated with replacement of nurses. There is lowered productivity in the health facility because the nurse who leaves was doing something for the organization. That is lost productivity because the nurse who leaves his/her tasks forces other nurses to take up the tasks to see their completion. It makes the remaining staff to become overworked. The remaining nurses stretch to complete the tasks of the leaving nurses. When the remaining nurses are overworked their satisfaction and productivity reduces. Their engagement to nursing duties reduces because of pressure of work and strain. It makes them to even start looking for work in other healthcare units and may eventually leave the current unit. The longer the overworked nurses stay in their overworked stations, the harder it will be for the healthcare unit to recapture the goodwill even after the unit fills the vacancies.
Nursing turnover results to loss of knowledge. Many people can do what the former nurses did, but they do not possess the specific knowledge they had. It is not about recording patient’s information, filling assessment forms or delivering care to patient. It is about knowing the traditions, culture and location of various types of information in the healthcare unit. All goes way when a nurse leaves the healthcare unit. Sometimes it is more than the general knowledge because the leaving nurses could have the important passwords for the healthcare unit.
Nursing turnover leads to training costs because of paid training costs. Paying for seminar for the new nurses is very costly for the healthcare unit. It may be paying for the nurse to know how to operate the electronic health record system. Other training may include teaching the employees how to fill various forms in the healthcare unit. The new nurses require guidance because one must always be there to direct the new nurse on what to do and how to do it. Another nurse must always double check the work of the new nurse. It is costly to the unit because there is loss of time in double checking the work of the nurse.
Sourcing for nurses to replace the leaving nurses requires money to pay for interviews. The interviewers require travelling funds to conduct the interviews. The unit will take time going through the resumes and talking to numerous candidates in the various interviews aimed at filling the vacant positions. It is costly for the healthcare unit to pay the benefits to the nurse who has only served for a short time (Fabre, 2009). The benefits may include the insurance claims. The same applies to the new nurses because they require the benefits that the healthcare unit offers. Nursing turnover may damage the reputation of the healthcare unit because if many nurses leave the healthcare unit, other nurses that aspired to work in the unit may not want to have anything to associate with the unit.
Nursing retention is a significant thing for the long term growth and success of the healthcare unit. Retaining the nurses in the unit ensures that the unit maintains the continuity and career progression. It ensures that the unit plans and executes its activities. The healthcare unit needs to develop strategies to ensure that they maintain their nursing staff and reduce nursing turnover. Nursing retention lowers the rate of work absenteeism and improves productivity at the healthcare unit. Retention strategies reduce hiring and training costs. It improves the client loyalty to the unit because of the quality of service that the unit has developed over time. It makes the healthcare to become a unit of choice both to the nurses and the clients.
The nursing retention strategies involves offering support to the nurses by providing the necessary training that will allow the nurses do their work without facing any difficulties (Meyer et al., 2009). The orientation program for the nurses should offer all the information that will create a positive impact on the nurses. As a head nurse, provision of constructive feedback to the nurses is important because it fosters an environment where all nursing staff are comfortable and comfortable in sharing their ideas. It makes the nurses to become committed to continuous improvement in the healthcare unit.
References
Fabre, J. (2009). Smart nursing: Nurse retention & patient safety improvement strategies. New York: Springer Pub. Co.
Jones, C. B., & Gates, M. (2007). The costs and benefits of nurse turnover: A business case for nurse retention. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 12(3).
Meyer, R. M., & Meyer, M. C. (2009). Utilization-focused evaluation: Evaluating the effectiveness of a hospital nursing orientation program. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 16(5), 202-208.
