Rocky Mount, N.C.-based Nash UNC Health Care has lowered its registered nurse vacancy rate by 12 percent since 2017 by implementing several strategies to recruit and retain more nurses, according to the Rocky Mountain Telegram.
In April 2017, UNC Health Care's RN vacancy rate was 17.4 percent — an all-time high for the system. To address this issue, the hospital first increased RN salary to a more competitive range, giving employed nurses an average 8 percent raise.
The hospital also launched the Nash Nurse Scholars Program in 2017, which offers a full scholarship and monthly stipend to nursing students at two local colleges who commit to working at the health system for at least two years after graduation.
By December 2017, Nash UNC Health Care's RN vacancy rate dropped to 12.4 percent. Now, this figure sits at just 5.3 percent, surpassing the hospital's goal of hitting a 7 percent RN vacancy rate.
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