Taking New Approaches to Coaching and Care Can Lift Nursing Numbers

Nurses are the backbone of healthcare. Their retention and recruitment are essential to the success and sustainability of healthcare providers. For many years, Portland, Oregon-based Legacy Health enjoyed the luxury of a registered nurse (RN) turnover rate consistently as low as 7.6 percent and a vacancy rate of 2.49 percent. Suddenly, COVID-19 and a confounding exodus of nurses from the profession overran this excellent track record. Today, Legacy Health is rebuilding its RN workforce and staff resilience through new initiatives. Even with a dwindling RN talent pool and vacancy rates rapidly growing into the double digits, the leadership is closing the gap. For example, a coach model for precepting new graduate nurses has allowed the RN residency program to grow by more than 300 percent. Programs such as Schwartz Rounds, Code Lavender, and an inpatient throughput initiative are also improving RN wellness, reducing stress, and increasing retention.