Nurse retention, positive workforce environments lower costs

Retaining nurses and creating positive work environments are critical to enabling hospitals to lower costs, according to AONL member Gail Vozzella, DNP, RN. Vozzella, senior vice president and CNE at Houston Methodist, says hospitals accrue significant costs when they train new nurses only to have them leave within three years due to negative work environments. Vozzella encourages CNOs to embrace technological solutions to enable nurses to spend more time with patients and less time entering information into an electronic health record, or searching for supplies. Virtual nurses also can provide additional support to bedside nurses and help to retain nurses, she said. (HealthLeaders Media article, 3/18/24)