By Debra Wood
One out of every six newly licensed nurses (more than 17 percent) leave their first nursing job within the first year and one out of every three (33.5 percent) leave within two years. But not all nurse turnover is bad, according to a new study from the RN Work Project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“It seemed high,” said Carol S. Brewer, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor at the University at Buffalo School of Nursing and co-director of the RN Work Project, the only longitudinal study of registered nurses conducted in the United States. “Most of them take a new job in a hospital. We’ve emphasized who left their first job, but it doesn’t mean they have left hospital work necessarily.”
While many nursing leaders have voiced concern that high turnover among new nurses may result in a loss of those nurses to the profession, that’s not what the RN Work Project team has found. Most of those leaving move on to another job in health care.
“Not only are they staying in health care, they are staying in health care as nurses,” said Christine T. Kovner, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor at the New York University College of Nursing and co-director of the RN Work Project. “Very few leave. A tiny percent become a case manager or work for an insurance company, verifying people had the right treatment.”
Such outside jobs tend to offer better hours, with no nights or weekends. The nurses are still using their knowledge and skills but they are not providing hands-on care.
The RN Work Project looks at nurse turnover from the first job, and the majority of first jobs are in the hospital setting, Brewer explained. However, in the sample, nurses working in other settings had higher turnover rates than those working in acute care.
Kovner hypothesized that since new nurses are having a harder time finding first jobs in hospitals, they may begin their careers in a nursing home and leave when a hospital position opens up. On the other hand, those who succeed in landing a hospital job may feel the need to stay at least a year, because that’s what many nursing professors recommend. Hospitals also tend to offer better benefits, such as tuition reimbursement and child care, and hold an attraction for new nurses.
“Our students, if they could get a job in an ICU, they’d be happy, and the other place they want to work is the emergency room,” Kovner said. “They want to save lives, every day.”
The RN Work Project data excludes nurses who have left their first position at a hospital for another in the same facility, which is disruptive to the unit but may be a positive for the organization overall, since the nurse knows the culture and policies. The nurse may change to come off the night shift or to obtain a position in a specialty unit, such as pediatrics.
“That’s an example of the type of turnover an organization likes,” Kovner said. “You have an experienced nurse going to the ICU [or another unit].”
While nurse turnover represents a high cost for health care employers, as much as $6.4 million for a large acute care hospital, some departures of RNs is good for the workplace. Brewer, Kovner and colleagues describe the difference between dysfunctional and functional turnover in the paper, published in the journal Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice.
“Dysfunctional is when the good people leave,” Brewer said.
The RN Work Project has not differentiated between voluntary and involuntary departures, the latter of which may be due to poor performance or downsizing. And some nurse turnover is beneficial.
“If you never had turnover, the organization would become stagnant,” Kovner added. “It’s useful to have some people leave, particularly the people you want to leave. It offers the opportunity to have new blood come in.”
New nursing graduates might bring with them the latest knowledge, and more seasoned nurses may bring ideas proven successful at other organizations.
Once again, Brewer and Kovner report managers or direct supervisors play a big role in nurses leaving their jobs. Organizations hoping to reduce turnover could consider more management training for people in those roles.
“Leadership seems a big issue,” Brewer said. “The supervisor support piece has been consistent.”
Both nurse researchers cited the challenge of measuring nurse turnover accurately. Organizations and researchers often describe it differently, Brewer said. And hospitals often do not want to release information about their turnover rates, since nurses would most likely apply to those with lower rates, Kovner added. When assessing nurse turnover data, she advises looking at the response rate and the methodology used.
“There are huge inconsistencies in reports about turnover,” Kovner said. “It’s extremely important managers and policy makers understand where the data came from.”
Source: www.nursezone.com
