Florida hospitals have seen a rebound in nurses returning to the field, with a 9 percent fall in vacancy rate in the last year, the Tampa Bay Times reported Aug. 15.
A Florida Hospital Association survey of more than 200 hospitals found turnover rate for nurses dropped from 32 percent in 2022 to 20 percent, and hospitals reported many nurses returning to their old jobs.
The rebound was credited to a few factors:
- The end of the public health emergency
- Fall of contract nursing rates
- Increased pay, signing and retention bonuses for nurses taking permanent positions
- Increased training for new nurses and education programs
- More funds toward student loan reimbursements, scholarships and nursing programs
- Expanding partnership between nursing schools and hospitals
- Better working conditions including using technology to reduce administrative burden
Despite the turnaround, there is still a shortage of long-term nurses for the older population, according to the report.