New Registered Nurses Always on the Move
Published at
iStock/Thinkstock(PRINCETON, N.J.) — Registered nurses may be a more valuable commodity than anyone realized based on a new study conducted by the RN Work Project and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Although a certain amount of turnover at most jobs is pretty common, the study says that 17.5 percent of newly licensed RNs leave their first job within a year. In fact, a third of RNs are on to somewhere different by the end of their second year.
Generally speaking, the turnover occurs more often in health care settings other than hospitals.
Certainly, losing RNs can negatively impact any workplace as high turnovers have been shown to be linked with an increase in physical restraints, pressure ulcers and patient falls.
However, co-author Christine Kovner says that turnovers can actually be helpful when a poorly functioning nurse leaves. On the other hand, things become more complicated if RNs with outstanding work habits seek work elsewhere.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio