This week’s graphic, highlighting data from NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc., details the current state of hospital turnover and nursing talent retention. The average hospital’s registered nurse (RN) and all-employee turnover rates have returned to 2019 levels, 16% and 18%, respectively. This is notable because staffing turnover substantially increased during the pandemic, with many nurses attributing their departures to dissatisfaction with management, better pay and more flexible hours elsewhere. This left many hospitals in a labor crisis, with soaring contract labor costs and persistent staffing shortages. Thankfully, these shortages are also improving, with RN vacancy rates nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels. Almost half of hospitals had an RN vacancy rate under 7.5% in 2025, a remarkable recovery given that more than half of hospitals reported RN vacancy rates higher than 15% in 2023. Health systems have made significant investments in workforce retention in recent years; this strategy appears to be paying off.
