Hospital staffing report: Nurse turnover eases but vacancies, costs remain high

Editor's Note

Hospitals made strides in reducing nurse turnover in 2024, yet staffing gaps and financial pressures remain significant, according to the 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. Key findings include:

• The national registered nurse (RN) turnover rate declined by 2.0 percentage points to 16.4%, marking a continued improvement from pandemic-era peaks. However, the RN vacancy rate held steady at 9.6%, indicating ongoing difficulties in maintaining adequate staffing levels.​
• The average cost of turnover for a bedside RN rose to $61,110 in 2024, an 8.6% increase from the previous year. This escalation contributed to average hospital losses ranging between $3.85 million and $5.65 million annually due to RN turnover. Notably, each 1% change in RN turnover equates to a financial impact of approximately $289,000 per hospital per year.​
• The average time to fill an experienced RN position was 83 days, reflecting a modest improvement of three days from the prior year. 
• Pediatrics, women's health, and surgical services experienced the lowest turnover rates, while behavioral health, step-down units, and emergency services faced the highest.
• Early-career nurses exhibited higher turnover, with 22.3% leaving within their first year and 61.4% departing within two years of employment.​
• 80.9% of hospitals have implemented programs aimed at retaining new hires, and 54.2% have developed initiatives to retain more tenured staff.