Laudio and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) announced the release of their second joint report, Trends and Innovations in Nurse Manager Retention. The report provides new data on nurse manager retention trends, along with the downstream impacts of manager turnover, and couples it with actionable insights directly from managers on high-priority improvements to promote satisfaction, retention, and growth.
The authors found the highest exit rates in the first few years of a nurse management role. In the first four years, between 10% and 12% of nurse managers step down and return to front-line work. In the first three, up to 12% leave the organization.
Building on the spring report, Quantifying Nurse Manager Impact, the new report provides fresh insights from the Laudio Insights dataset – spanning over 200,000 frontline team members – and AONL-led interviews with nurse managers. The analysis shows that nurse manager turnover is highest during the first four years of leadership, revealing a critical window for leader support and investment. Furthermore, nurse manager transitions have a quantifiable impact on RN retention – they were associated with a two to four percentage point average rise in RN turnover in the year that followed.
“Nurse managers are vital in maintaining the stability of frontline teams and ensuring optimal patient care,” said Robyn Begley, CEO of AONL and chief nursing officer, SVP of workforce at the American Hospital Association. “This report underscores the importance of prioritizing nurse manager well-being and engagement in health systems’ workforce strategies. It also provides practical guidance to implement meaningful changes to support these crucial leaders.”
The report also highlights top areas for health system executives to prioritize based on nurse manager interviews.The national average exit rate for nurse managers is 8.8%, according to the report. At hospitals in California, Ohio and Louisiana, leaders shared with Becker’s Hospital Reviewhow they have achieved turnover rates as low as 3%.
In California Keck Hospital of USC, which has an annual nurse manager turnover rate of 3%, has “mastered” the skill of engaging these leaders and ensuring job satisfaction, according to Chief Nursing Officer Ceonne Houston-Raasikh, DNP, RN.
The Los Angeles-based hospital hosts quarterly listening sessions for its 13 nurse managers to share their challenges and frustrations. Additionally, anonymous pulse surveys examine engagement levels.
One issue that Keck Hospital of USC recently addressed was the timeline for performance evaluations. They were originally due Dec. 31, but after managers expressed the “crunch time” coupled with scheduled end-of-year time off, leaders postponed the deadline to Jan. 31.
When Dr. Houston-Raasikh joined Keck, several nurse managers were fairly new to their roles. They were also relatively new to healthcare, as many had fewer than three years of experience.
Nurses a few years into their career have less lived experience with conflict than those with 10-plus years into leadership, and thus need more support when navigating tense situations, Deana Sievert, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer of Columbus-based UH/Ross Heart Hospita said.