Surprising Ways to Reduce Turnover in High-Pressure, High-Skill Jobs

In 2024, more than 287,000 staff nurses left their positions, and nearly 1.6 million intend to leave within five years. Nurse departures create costs that extend beyond recruiting and onboarding. Hospitals lose continuity of care, unit-level know-how, and the working relationships that support high-stress clinical units. In a healthcare field already facing staffing pressure, turnover can quickly become a capacity problem as well as a people problem. The scale of departures signals a need for leaders to address retention to protect care quality and operational stability.

"In 2024 alone, more than 287,000 staff nurses left their positions, and nearly 1.6 million say they intend to leave within five years. When a nurse leaves, the cost goes far beyond recruiting and onboarding. Hospitals lose continuity of care, unit-level know-how, and the working relationships that help high-stress clinical units function well. In a field already facing staffing pressure, turnover can quickly become a capacity problem as much as a people problem."

"When a nurse leaves, the cost goes far beyond recruiting and onboarding. Hospitals lose continuity of care, unit-level know-how, and the working relationships that help high-stress clinical units function well. In a field already facing staffing pressure, turnover can quickly become a capacity problem as much as a people problem."

Read at Harvard Business Review