Nursing turnover in a large, rural health system

Nursing turnover is a leading cause of inefficiency in health care delivery. Few studies have examined turnover among nurses who work in rural areas.

We accessed human resources data that tracked hiring and terminations from a large health system operating in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota between January 2016 and December 2017. Our study sample included 7,634 registered nurses, 1,765 of whom worked in a rural community. Within the health system, there were 27 affiliated hospitals, 17 of which were designated critical access hospitals. We estimated nursing turnover rates overall and stratified turnover rates by available demographic and occupational characteristics, including whether the nurse worked in a community with an affiliated acute care hospital or critical access hospital.

Overall, 19% of nurses left their position between January 2016 and December 2017. Turnover rates were associated with state, nurse gender and age, and occupational tenure, but were similar in urban and rural areas. Of note, turnover rates were significantly higher in communities without an affiliated acute care hospital or critical access hospital.

Between 2016 and 2017, nearly 1 in 5 nurses working in this health system left their position. Turnover rates differed based on nurse demographics and selected occupational characteristics, including tenure. We also found higher turnover rates among nurses who worked in communities without an affiliated hospital, which points to a potential but unexplored benefit of hospitals in rural areas.