Walk into any hospital in the United States and you’ll find registered nurses (RNs) working day and night to save lives and provide crucial healthcare services to patients in need. But in many hospitals, RNs are feeling burnt out and dissatisfied—a problem that’s directly related to high rates of turnover, according to a 2023 study published in the Jornal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). May 12–18 is National Hospital Week, and in recognition of this important observance, we wanted to dive deep into the factors behind RN turnover at hospitals and how your facility can partner with Barton Healthcare Staffing to ensure there’s enough hands to provide the care patients deserve.
What’s causing the U.S. nursing shortage?
It’s no secret that the United States is currently facing a shortage of nurses—in fact, a 2019 article published in the peer-reviewed “American Journal of Medical Quality” predicted that 30 states will see a significant shortage of RNs by 2030, an increase from five states in 2009.
The reasons behind the nursing shortage are multi-faceted, but can generally be attributed to aging clinicians, caps on new enrollment at nursing schools due to a lack of instructors and clinical spaces, and high burnout rates among RNs.
A 2022 survey conducted by the American Nurses Foundation and the American Nurses Association, found that 52% of nurses are considering leaving their current position. Insufficient staffing, poor health and well-being due to their jobs, and an inability to provide high-quality care were cited as the nurses’ main reasons behind why they are considering leaving.
What’s behind high RN turnover at hospitals?
At hospitals specifically, the recent JAMA report uncovered that nurse turnover was directly associated with nurse burnout, nurse dissatisfaction, and the intention for nurses to leave their current job. According to the report, nurse turnover was 5% to 8% higher at hospitals with high RN burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intention to leave rates.
How can hospitals combat nurse turnover?
Interestingly, the JAMA report asked respondents to provide some “interventions” that they believed would be most effective in reducing burnout and improving their general well-being.
Around 90% of the nurses surveyed by JAMA said that improving nurse staffing levels was “very important” to improving their well-being. In addition, a little over 80% of nurses said that supporting clinicians to take breaks without interruptions was also critical to improving their well-being.
Travel Nurses are a Solution to Improving Hospital RN Turnover
Nurses themselves say that improving staffing levels would help to reduce burnout, therefore potentially reducing turnover rates at hospitals. At Barton Healthcare Staffing, we’ve built a robust network of travel nurses who are ready and willing to move to a different state to work temporary assignments at short-staffed hospitals and other medical facilities.
If you’re a hospital executive or staffing manager that is struggling with high nurse turnover, we can help. Reach out to us today to get connected with an account executive who will learn your facility’s needs and match a qualified clinician to work at your facility.
Doing so will give your permanent nurses a well-deserved break, and will boost the quality of care your hospital can provide to patients!