Nurses born after 1986 who have been with an employer for less than a year are more likely to quit their organization than older nurses, according to a Sept. 30 analysis from Press Ganey that documents a generational divide contributing to nurse turnover rates across the country.
Researchers collected responses from 100,000 healthcare employees and conducted a Flight Risk Analysis assessment.
Four takeaways:
- Nearly 30 percent of registered nurses are at risk of leaving their organization nationally.
- Nurses younger than 35 who have been at their current employer for less than a year are most likely to leave voluntarily. Specifically, new hires who don’t have a connection with their team, managers or organization are at the greatest risk — approximately 1 in 5 nurses who fit this description leave.
- Employee engagement ratings dropped at twice the rate among nurses compared with non-nurses in the past 12 months.
- Nurses who work night and weekend shifts reported lower engagement than those on day-shifts.
Researchers said the findings can help employers spot and understand turnover risk. To offset these trends, researchers said, health systems must be proactive in understanding how their employees feel about their ability to support them during the pandemic and beyond.
"Nurses who are on the fence about leaving the profession altogether are watching to see if leaders are really listening and willing to tackle tough issues — or just going through the motions," said Jeff Doucette, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer at Press Ganey.