Workforce stability suffers as nurse manager expectations increase: Vizient
Health systems are increasing their expectations for nurse managers without proper support, which risks workforce stability, according to a Feb. 5 article from Vizient and Kaufman Hall.
The position “has become increasingly unsustainable” because of elevated turnover and growing scopes of control, with 1 in 4 nurse managers overseeing more than 75 direct reports, Vizient said.
The average nurse manager turnover rate is 7.5%, with nurse managers most likely to return as a front-line employee within the first four years of entering the management role. For their direct reports, the RN turnover rate is 16.4% with a vacancy rate of 9.6%. The average acute care hospital is losing $4.75 million due to annual turnover.
Amid this high retention risk, organizations are requiring nurse managers to do more. They are asked to manage employee burnout, ensure adequate staffing during a decadeslong nurse shortage, infuse executive-level priorities into daily workflows, and perform other duties.
Expectations have increased. Help for nurse managers has not.
“This creates a paradox at the center of the workforce challenge,” Vizient said. “The role with the greatest influence on workforce stability is itself at elevated risk. When nurse managers are stretched beyond capacity, the consequences cascade — accelerating RN turnover, eroding unit culture and undermining quality and safety.”
Vizient outlined three recommendations for health systems: Invest in retention efforts; bolster nurse leaders with skills such as financial acumen, change management and quality improvement; and optimize the workforce by using predictive analytics to redesign staffing models.
Read more here.
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