title: What does nurse turnover rate mean and what is the rate?
abstract: Registered nurse turnover is an important indicator of the nurse job market. Despite its wide use as a measure for health-care system analysis, there is a lack of consistency in the definition of turnover. Some definitions include any nurse leaving an organization; others may include involuntary and voluntary leaving. These inconsistent definitions also result in various turnover rates. The RN Work Project is a 10-year panel study of new nurses. Data were collected from the new nurses, rather than from a specific organization. About 17.5% of new nurses leave their first job within 1 year of starting their jobs. Consistent and accurate measurement of turnover is an important step in addressing organizational work environments and policies about the nursing workforce.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, New York University, NY, USA ctk1@nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Christine T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Kovner
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing University at Buffalo, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Carol S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Brewer
authors.affiliation: Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing, New York University, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Farida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fatehi
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, New York University, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jun
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009726:Nurses / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010559:Personnel Management; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States
keywords: RN; cost; nurse turnover; turnover