How to Reduce Nurse Turnover at Your Facility in 2025

Nursing staff turnover rates in the U.S. are continuing to increase. With roughly 33 million patients getting admitted to hospitals each year, this can be quite frustrating for the nurses providing care in understaffed facilities. We’ll examine the statistics and factors surrounding this critical issue and provide some solutions to help reduce nurse turnover.

Nursing Turnover Statistics

Research from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) has shown that higher nursing staff turnover rates are associated with a lower quality of care. In an effort to improve health outcomes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now incorporates nursing turnover rates into their Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System. With data now being collected from over 15,000 long-term care facilities, more studies and statistics specific to nursing home staff turnover are finally emerging.

The Long-Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) publishes regular alerts and reports on nursing home staffing and safety based on the data received from CMS’s mandatory reporting requirements. LTCCC has provided a summary of findings based on nursing staff turnover in their analysis.

The most recent report conducted in November 2024 found that nursing home facilities across the country had:

• An overall nursing staff turnover rate of 48.71%.
• A registered nurse (RN) staff turnover rate of 45.36%.
• Significantly lower registered nurse staffing on weekends.

To put the nursing home staff turnover rate into perspective, it’s almost double that of the hospital nursing staff turnover rate of 18.4%. Long-term care facilities must replace almost half of their nursing staff each year, which can have a significant impact on the quality of care they’re able to provide.

Cost of Nurse Turnover

The financial cost of employee turnover affects hospitals nationwide. For instance, the average cost of turnover for a bedside RN is $56,300, resulting in as much as $6.5 million in losses per year. Additionally, each 1% change in RN turnover costs or saves the average hospital $262,500 annually. While nursing home staff salaries are less than hospital staff salaries, it’s reasonable to speculate that nursing home staff turnover costs are also prohibitive.

In addition to the clear monetary costs of nursing turnover, poor retention also places nursing home residents at risk. Studies show that nursing homes with high nursing staff turnover rates also experience:

• Poorer health outcomes for residents.
• Higher rates of fraud and abuse citations.
• Higher rates of substantiated resident complaints to CMS.
• Decreased overall CMS Five-Star Ratings.

Notable Nursing Turnover Trends for 2025

To combat high rates of employee turnover, facilities across the U.S. are moving away from rigid staffing models and toward more flexible staffing solutions. Organizations taking this approach tend to incorporate temporary, contract, per-diem, and travel nurses into their staffing matrix to help during periods of high patient acuity and nurse turnover.

Another recent trend seen in acute and long-term care facilities is the increased use of technology to reduce clinician workload and improve the workplace experience. Recent technological advancements include:

• Remote patient monitoring to decrease the number of patients needing in-person care.
• Automated vital sign charting in the patient’s electronic health record (EHR).
• Patient education materials prepared by artificial intelligence (AI).

How to Reduce Nurse Turnover: 5 Tips

Now that we’ve reviewed the statistics and costs associated with staff turnover at nursing homes, it’s time to discuss possible solutions that can help your residence. The following five tips can help you stabilize your nursing workforce and improve the quality of care you’re able to provide.

1. Identify the Primary Causes of Nurse Turnover at Your Facility

Staff turnover is a complex issue, with multiple contributing factors. Poor working conditions, low pay and lack of benefits, and a demanding role are common reasons for high staff turnover.

IntelyCare’s Nursing Trends Survey revealed that 85% of nurses who took the survey felt overworked, with 45% stating that they plan to leave the profession altogether. When planning retention strategies, you’ll want to work with your nurse management team to engage your nursing staff and identify the main causes of turnover in your facility.

2. Protect Your Nursing Staff From Burnout

Burnout among nurses is often associated with high attrition rates. By mitigating or preventing the causes of burnout, your facility can create a workplace where your residents thrive and your nurses succeed. You can start by:

• Encouraging staff to find work-life balance.
• Developing flexible scheduling options.
• Limiting mandatory overtime whenever possible.
• Providing specialized education and training.
• Promoting a healthy work environment.

3. Offer Competitive Wages and Benefits

Consider researching the pay and benefits being offered by other local facilities to ensure your organization’s offerings are competitive. If your facility can’t pay a high salary, other monetary incentives or staggered salary increases can help keep employees engaged.

4. Provide Transformational Leadership

The American Nurses Association (ANA) defines the transformational nurse leader as one who inspires their fellow nurses to achieve success by helping them to develop their strengths and including them in their greater vision. Transformational leadership improves registered nurses’ communication, motivation, and retention rates. It’s much easier for nursing staff to persevere through challenging work situations when they have a positive relationship with their managers and are engaged in their workplace.

5. Adopt an Employee-First Culture

Nursing facilities can help reduce nursing turnover by adopting an employee-first (person-centered) culture. Organizations that recognize staff as their most significant asset, include them in decision-making, and prioritize employee wellness over profits see significantly lower turnover rates than those that don’t.

Utilize Flexible Staffing Strategies That Support Your Nurses

Trying to prevent nurse turnover and burnout during a staffing crisis can be challenging. We’re here to help. Partner with IntelyCare today to learn more about the many ways we can help you fill your empty shifts with well-trained nursing professionals.

IntelyCare writer Diana Campion, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, contributed to the research and writing of this article.