Nurses don't leave hospitals - they leave nurse managers

That's a bit harsh! But nonetheless true based on the mounting evidence on nursing turnover.   Managers at the Unit level have direct contact with every clinical nurse and midwife in the organisation so it stands to reason that they have some influence over staff work experience. A core responsibility of the Unit manager is creating a positive work environment (culture). There is a wealth of evidence that work environment is linked to staff satisfaction.

The cost of nursing turnover is incredible. PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2009) estimated that it cost the average hospital $300k for every percentage point increase in nurse turnover per annum. Others have calculated that it costs organisations twice the annual salary of every nurse lost. The estimate of replacing nurses ranges from $10k to $60k depending on what is included in the calculations. The best estimate that I found was that the average cost of turnover per nurse was $16,634. Anyway you cut it; it is a lot of money and well worth looking more closely at.

So invest in your Unit Managers because the return will outweigh the costs.  

If you want more information on retention, turnover and nurse unit manager's roles, go to the 'Resources' tab on Nurse Leaders Central.