A recent survey in Beckers reports that 55% of healthcare workers plan to change roles within the next year. That statistic isn’t just a red flag; it’s a fire alarm. From compensation concerns to burnout to lack of career growth, the signals are clear: hospitals are losing the human capital game. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Diagnose the Real Problem: It’s Not Just Burnout
The survey highlights three top reasons for turnover: inadequate compensation and benefits (49%), burnout (48%), and lack of career advancement (48%). These are the symptoms. But the deeper diagnosis reveals that many healthcare organizations are still operating with outdated talent models. They treat staffing as a cost center, not a strategic investment.
Want to keep people? Understand why they leave: rigid work models, flat career paths, and cultures that signal replaceability over value. These are environmental problems, not employee problems.
Make Staying the Better Option
Retention isn’t about holding on tighter. It’s about making the choice to stay obvious. Compensation and benefits matter, but so does the employee value proposition. If a nurse sees no growth path, why would they stay? If a clinical staffer is burning out under inflexible schedules or an understaffed unit, why would they endure?
Solve for these pain points:
- Burnout: Redesign shifts, reduce administrative burden, invest in team-based care models.
- Career Stagnation: Create internal mobility programs and visible advancement paths.
- Lack of Recognition: Foster a culture where impact is seen and celebrated.
Shift from Staffing to Strategic Human Capital
Hospitals should treat recruitment and retention as human capital strategy, not just staffing logistics. That means:
- Segment Roles by Flight Risk: Target retention initiatives where they matter most—high turnover roles, early-career professionals, and critical functions.
- Enhance Onboarding: Use the first 90 days to integrate, train, and inspire. Make new hires feel seen and invested from day one.
- Map the Talent Market: Benchmark not just pay, but growth opportunities and cultural differentiators. If competitors offer more mobility, you’re already behind.
Build for Growth: Not Just Retention, But Evolution
Many of the 55% who want to leave don’t actually want to leave healthcare. They want to grow, learn, and contribute in new ways. That’s an invitation, not a threat.
Hospitals should:
- Invest in Upskilling: 75% of healthcare workers say employers should support continuing education and professional development.
- Facilitate Cross-Functional Moves: Clinical to informatics, bedside to care coordination—show that lateral moves are valid career progressions.
- Celebrate Development Stories: Make growth visible. Promote internally and publicize it.
Rethink Role Design and Job Postings
Too many job postings and role descriptions are built to screen people out rather than draw the right ones in. That’s backwards.
- Ditch Generic Requirements: Instead of “5+ years experience,” focus on adaptability, collaboration, and critical thinking.
- Communicate Opportunity: Emphasize impact, growth, and mission alignment.
- Design Roles with Flexibility: Build roles that fit people’s lives, not just schedules.
Measure What Matters
Retention isn’t a mystery. It just requires discipline and metrics:
- Track Early Tenure Retention: Are people staying beyond 6-12 months?
- Measure Internal Mobility: What percentage of roles are filled internally?
- Monitor Cultural Health: Use pulse surveys, exit interviews, and stay interviews to gather insight.
- Tie Leader Incentives to Retention: If leaders are rewarded for team stability, engagement, and growth, behavior will follow.
Final Thought:
Hospitals that treat this 55% turnover intent as a crisis will stay in firefighting mode. Those that treat it as a strategic signal will build resilient, future-ready workforces. Retention isn’t about keeping people in place—it’s about giving them compelling reasons to grow where they are.