Nurse Turnover Case Study

In any industry high turnover is an undesirable aspect of hiring. In the medical industry, particularly with nurses, it is a factor that contributes to a host of other issues that are present. When a nurse leaves their position they are leaving a vacuum. This is because they take their experience with them. They also have patients that will notice their absence. The nurse is the first person a patient meets and is the person that they have the most contact with during their hospital stay. Patients develop a rapport with nurses and in many cases have a hard time adjusting to the new nurse on duty (Dubois et al., 2013). There is also a shortage of nurses that will only get worse before it gets better. There are many nurses that are nearing retirement …show more content…
Many nurses cite having a good work environment as reasons that they stay or leave a facility. A good work environment is a work environment where: there is good communication with management and leadership; nurses feel empowered; adequate staffing; and hiring the right people (Wood, 2013). These aspects of a nurse’s work environment will not only reduce turnover, but it will also help to maximize patient outcomes and satisfaction. These are goals that can be achieved if there is adequate support from leadership that are ready to live the goals of the organization (2013). One way to empower nurses is to form what is called a “retention committee”. A retention committee is a panel of nurses; elected by the nurse staff; that communicates grievances, improvements and problems to upper level management and leadership (Twigg & McCullough, 2013). This helps to empower nurses; ensure that their voices are heard; and lets leadership and management know what needs to be done to retain their …show more content…
A nurse leader would see the issue as an opportunity to inspire a culture of leadership within the facility. Being a mentor is a being a leader. The mentorship will also help to develop cohesiveness among the team. The environment where this would be able to flourish is one where a leader uses a transformational leadership style where employees and leaders identify what needs to be changed and work together to implement those changes (Hayes et al., 2012). This is the approach that would best the author’s leadership style as well. Transformational leaders inspire others to be more proactive in their positions. This creates an environment that is empowering and