Nurses' Transitions Into and Out of the Home Health Sector

Demand for home health is growing. Registered and licensed practical/vocational nurses (RNs and LPN/LVNs) are integral to the provision of home health services, but a limited body of evidence suggests that the workforce is unstable and possibly shrinking. We assessed RNs' and LPN/LVNs' transitions into and out of the home health sector using data from the Current Population Survey monthly files from January 2003 to June 2023. Specifically, we compared turnover from home health versus the hospital sector and assessed entry into home health from other health care and non-health care sectors. Turnover was consistently and significantly higher in the home health sector compared with the hospital sector. The predicted probability of nurses entering home health from any other sector hovered around or below 1%. High turnover combined with low home health entry raises concerns about home health nursing services nationwide.