Winning Poster: Predicting and hiring for attrition, a best practice for recruitment and retention for pediatric nurse leaders

Abstract

In the year ending 2023, pediatric nurse turnover was 13.3 %, the average time to fill a nurse vacancy was 86 days and hospitals incurred a cost of $56,227 for each nurse who left (NSI Nursing Solutions, 2024). To ensure adequate staffing levels at the unit level, it is crucial to enhance recruitment and retention efforts. Increasing staffing levels has proven to be an effective strategy for reducing nurse turnover (Peng, Ding, & Chandrasekaran, 2023). Staffing shortages are linked to greater burnout among pediatric nurses and poorer work outcomes, including nurse retention, overall well-being, interest in career changes, patient safety, and patient-family satisfaction (Buckley et al. 2020). Consequently, pediatric nursing leaders should focus on strengthening recruitment initiatives, managing vacancy rates, and enhancing retention strategies, with an emphasis on predicting and hiring for attrition as a best practice.The poster presentation aims to equip pediatric nursing leaders with a practical strategy to improve the recruitment and retention of pediatric nurses. Additionally, the poster is intended to provide pediatric clinical nurses with valuable information that they can present to their supervisors as a potential recruitment and retention opportunity. Implementing strategies for hiring for attrition in mind can streamline hiring processes, reduce costs, and enhance staffing, ultimately fostering better nurse retention. Attendees will gain insights into proactively predicting nurse attrition (including resignations and transfers) by leveraging departmental data and following the five-step process during the poster presentation to improve staffing effectiveness.