Establishing a Sustainable Workforce Via Nursing Pipelines

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Development
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing challenges within the nursing workforce.
• Hospitals faced significant issues with unstable nursing staffing levels.
• A large rural, level 1 academic healthcare system sought to address these critical staffing shortages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the strategies implemented by a healthcare system to stabilize its nursing workforce post-pandemic.
• To establish a sustainable pipeline for future nursing recruitment and retention.
• To analyze the impact of interventions on key nursing workforce metrics.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of targeted initiatives to improve nursing staff retention.
• Development of programs to create a consistent pipeline of qualified nurses.
• Monitoring and analysis of nursing turnover rates, vacancy rates, and time-to-fill positions.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in overall nursing turnover rates were observed.
• A notable decrease in nursing vacancy rates was achieved.
• The average number of days to fill open nursing positions was substantially reduced.

Conclusions:

• The implemented strategies were effective in stabilizing the nursing workforce.
• The healthcare system successfully created a more sustainable pipeline for nurses.
• These findings offer a model for other healthcare organizations facing similar workforce challenges.