The findings from the American Nurses Foundation's fourth mental health and wellness survey have sounded an alarm within the nursing community. The survey, which engaged over 7,400 nurses, reveals a broader trend—20% have already changed positions in the past six months, and an additional 39-41% are contemplating leaving their current roles.
A concerning 41% of direct care nurses express their likelihood to leave their current positions in the next six months, prompting an urgent call to action for nurse leaders. Research by McKinsey & Co. corroborates this trend, finding that among those who actually left, one of the top reasons was not feeling valued by their organization.
When asked about the elements of clinical work that bring them joy, 55% of nurses responded with, "feeling like I'm making a difference." This underscores the dedication and passion nurses bring to their profession, a passion that’s often taken for granted.
Recognizing the contributions of nurses at an organizational level is the key to retaining your nursing talent. Health Affairs finds that “nurses also feel more valued when the broader workplace culture supports their well-being.” Top-performing nurses crave professional growth, development, and engagement, with the ability to visualize their futures at their hospital.
Clinical ladder programs (CLPs) provide a structured framework for recognizing and rewarding the skills, knowledge, and competencies nurses accumulate over their careers.
Unfortunately, in practice, many CLPs are relegated to outdated paper binders collecting dust on administrators’ desks. Many more CLPs are “digitized” into spreadsheets and disconnected documents, which still lacks the scalability and visibility required to make the clinical ladder work as intended. If a CLP is conducted solely on systems that rely on manual exporting and communication, the burden of paperwork still falls on overworked nurses.
If this barrier to entry to clinical laddering is lowered, more nurses get rewarded and acknowledged for their contributions to their hospitals, providing a sense of real fulfillment to a nursing career.
StaffGarden Grow, our Digital Ladder Platform, helps to make all these benefits more accessible and easy-to-use for nurses. Providing clear pathways for career advancement, the Grow platform not only reduces turnover rates but also fosters commitment and propels the professional growth of nursing staff. As nurses envision a future within the organization, job satisfaction rises and turnover rates decrease, contributing to a healthier and more stable nursing workforce.
According to the Advisory Board, the increased RN turnover rate in 2021 also caused the average hospital to lose around $7.1 million that year. The urgency to address this issue is further exacerbated by the difficulties hospitals face in recruiting new RNs promptly due to labor shortages and growing competition. As the RN Recruitment Difficulty Index indicates, it currently takes an average of 87 days to recruit an experienced RN to fill a vacancy.
Keeping nurses invested through accessible and easy-to-use career development initiatives like StaffGarden Grow can save millions otherwise spent on recruitment and training – according to the Advisory Board's data, each percentage change in RN turnover can cost or save a hospital $262,300 annually.
One StaffGarden Grow hospital system has surpassed industry benchmarks in crucial areas like retention and ladder engagement. Based in Fort Wayne, IN, Parkview Health realized a 10% nurse turnover rate after Grow implementation. Parkview’s numbers are well below the industry average of 22.5%, according to the 2023 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report.
Before StaffGarden Grow, only 50% of nurses had ever engaged with Parkview’s CLP. Now, 85% of Parkview’s nurses are on the clinical ladder, demonstrating a clear initiative to grow their careers at Parkview. By supporting the aspirations of its nursing staff and providing a roadmap to achieve them, Parkview sends a clear message: each and every nurse's professional journey is integral to the institution’s vision.
By elevating the nursing profession, we create a positive impact on mental health and wellness for nurses and the communities they serve. We’re committed to supporting nurse leaders in fostering environments where nurses not only survive but thrive in their roles. To delve deeper into how clinical ladders can elevate nurse morale, motivation, and overall well-being, visit www.staffgarden.com/grow.
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