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Want to Keep Your Nurses? Start With Their Daily Experience
The #1 Predictor of Nurse Retention in 2025: Employee Experience
America Needs Nurses
May 23, 2025
In partnership with
👋 Hello Healthcare Leader,
If you're struggling with nurse turnover, you're not alone. In 2025, hospitals across the U.S. are losing skilled RNs faster than they can recruit them.
But here’s the truth: nurses aren’t leaving because of the job — they’re leaving because of the experience.
In this edition, we explore how employee experience (EX) — the daily reality of what it’s like to work for you — plays a critical role in retaining your best nursing talent.
💡 What Is Employee Experience?
Employee Experience includes everything your nurses encounter during their journey with your organization:
👩⚕️ Culture & teamwork
🧠 Mental health & well-being
📚 Career growth opportunities
💬 Leadership communication
🏥 Day-to-day workflow & tech tools
❤️ Feeling valued, safe, and heard
📉 The Cost of Ignoring Nurse Experience
🔁 High turnover: 17–30% annual RN attrition rates
💸 $40,000–$60,000 to replace just one nurse
👎 Declining patient satisfaction & staff morale
⚠️ More reliance on costly temp staffing
✅ 5 Ways to Improve the Nurse Experience in 2025
1. Prioritize Psychological Safety
Create an environment where nurses feel safe to speak up without fear of retaliation.
2. Invest in Nurse-Led Innovation
Involve nurses in decisions about workflow, tools, and policies. Let them lead improvements.
3. Offer Flexible Scheduling
Adopt self-scheduling, 4-day workweeks, or reduced mandatory overtime to reduce burnout.
4. Launch a Real Recognition Program
Celebrate wins, honor milestones, and make appreciation a daily habit — not a quarterly formality.
5. Support Growth, Not Just Survival
Provide mentorship, continuing education, and clear career pathways. Empower your nurses to grow within your system.
📣 Nurse Voices
“I left my last job not because of pay — but because I felt invisible. No one listened.”
– Carmen A., ICU RN
“In my current hospital, leadership checks in weekly. They remember my name. That matters.”
– Derrick N., Med-Surg RN
💼 How America Needs Nurses Can Help
Our nurse recruitment programs don’t stop at hiring — we focus on nurse retention by helping employers design:
✔️ Cultural integration plans for international nurses
✔️ Onboarding strategies built around belonging
✔️ Retention-focused partnerships with HR and nurse leaders
🔍 Ready to Improve Your Nurse Experience?
📅 Book a Free Nurse Retention Audit
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.americaneedsnurses.com/employers
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