Developing human capital: what is the impact on nurse turnover?

Area of Science:

• Nursing Management
• Human Resources in Healthcare
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Global nursing labor markets face significant challenges, including high turnover and staff shortages.
• Healthcare organizations are exploring strategies to retain registered nurses (RNs).
• Investing in human capital development is a potential solution to mitigate turnover.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between increased human capital through staff training and voluntary turnover among RNs.
• To determine if investing in nursing staff development influences retention rates.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to chief nursing officers across 2208 Canadian healthcare facilities.
• A response rate of 32.3% was achieved.
• Three-step hierarchical regression analysis was employed, incorporating control variables for demographics and labor market conditions.

Main Results:

• Perceptions of nursing human capital were modestly associated with lower establishment turnover.
• Higher levels of staff training were also modestly linked to reduced turnover.
• These associations remained significant after controlling for organizational and market factors.

Conclusions:

• Healthcare organizations demonstrating greater investment in nursing human capital tend to experience lower RN turnover.
• Staff training and development are crucial for improving nurse retention.
• Findings support strategic investments in nursing staff to enhance organizational stability and address shortages.