CNOs must provide career pathways and robust wellbeing support systems to improve nurse retention, say these nurse leaders.
In the latest edition of HealthLeaders' The Winning Edge webinar series, a panel of nurse leaders discussed innovative retention strategies that CNOs can use to foster career growth, prioritize wellbeing, and create a more sustainable work environment.
The discussion included three key takeaways: how to support nurses at every career stage, the importance of providing professional development opportunities, and why it's critical to center nurse wellbeing in retention strategies.
CNOs must be ready to support nurses from the beginning to the end of their careers, and throughout life changes, according to these nurse leaders.
Nurses are multifaceted individuals with needs that must be met both at work and at home. CNOs must take the time to understand each nurse's individual needs and goals. The goal should be to create a space where nurses are not afraid to approach leaders with their needs.
CNOs must provide career pathways and robust wellbeing support systems to improve nurse retention, say these nurse leaders.
Retention is struggle for all leaders in healthcare, including CNOs.
Predictions about the nursing workforce are somewhat grim, with many studies suggesting that nurses plan on leaving the workforce in the near future. That coupled with existing shortages and continuing issues with nurse turnover, does not bode well for the industry.
So, while health systems might have different approaches, there are several creative retention strategies that CNOs should take into consideration.
The panel discussion included three key points about retention strategy.
Support at every career stage
Nurses are multifaceted individuals with needs that must be met both at work and at home. CNOs must take the time to understand each nurse's individual needs and goals. For new-to-practice nurses, many of whom are Gen Z, the panelists recommended that nurse leaders meet with them within the first 30 to 90 days of their employment to discuss their career path. Then, come up with a road map for how they can accomplish those goals.
The goal should be to create a space where nurses are not afraid to approach leaders with their needs. Gen Z nurses in particular appreciate emotional connections with the people they work with, according to the panelists, and they enjoy recognition.
For more tenured nurses, the goal is to create opportunities for them to share their knowledge with the next generation of nurses. This might involve having them enter virtual nursing or telehealth positions. For nurses who have family members to care for at home, the panelists emphasized the importance of flexibility. Leaders must be able to empathize and help their nurses navigate through life changes while they continue to work.
Professional development opportunities
Nursing is a dynamic career with many pathways to success, and CNOs are responsible for equipping nurses with the skills they need to grow and mold their careers. Professional development is not only critical to nurse retention, but it is also the key to succession planning and fostering the next generation of nurse leaders.
According to the panelists, CNOs should focus on building leadership pipelines that help bolster the nurse's career path. Nurses should be able to cross train, participate in leadership development, and obtain certifications for other skillsets.
One key benefit that CNOs should consider is tuition assistance. The panelists explained that for many nurses, the cost of certification or continuing education is the one barrier standing in their way. If health systems are able to cover the initial costs up front, that can help lift financial burdens off of nurses who are ready to advance their careers.
Centering wellbeing
CNOs and other nurse leaders must also prioritize nurse wellbeing to maintain the sustainability of the workforce. This is done by creating a work environment that is as safe, efficient, and barrier-free as possible.
First and foremost, health systems must provide mental health support systems for nurses, through EAP programs and other resources. The panelists recommended mental health counseling and stress first aid, which equips nurse leaders with evidence-based stress response practices for when incidents occur. CNOs can also advocate for physical spaces in the health system where nurses can go to find a moment of relaxation in their day.
More specific strategies can include initiatives to improve individual wellbeing. For instance, promoting sleep schedule recommendations for nurses who work a mixture of days and nights. CNOs should get in touch with their workforce to see what their wellness needs are, and then make sure to provide the kinds of support they need.
These nurse leaders are coming together to share leadership strategies in celebration of nurses everywhere.
The nursing industry has grown and changed in many ways, especially in the past five years.
Heavy workloads, burnout, and workplace violence challenges persist, and nurses are departing from the industry, leaving staffing gaps and shortages behind. Despite these challenges, innovation in nursing has taken off, with AI and virtual nursing at the forefront of many CNOs' strategies.
This week is National Nurses Week, meant to celebrate the essential contributions that nurses make in communities worldwide. HealthLeaders is participating in the celebration with a week full of events, beginning with the next webinar in our The Winning Edge series.
Retention is the new recruitment
In the face of staffing shortages, retention is just as important as recruitment for CNOs. To truly build a resilient workforce, nurse leaders must focus on retaining nurses at every stage of their careers, from new graduate nurses contemplating life at the bedside to seasoned professionals nearing retirement and everyone in between.
The Winning Edge for Keeping Nurses Happy will explore innovative retention strategies that CNOs can use to foster career growth, prioritize wellbeing, and create a more sustainable work environment.
G Hatfield, Event Moderator and HealthLeaders CNO Editor
This isn’t just another webinar—it’s your chance to learn from the best in the business and walk away with strategies you can implement immediately. Join us as we face the problems, share solutions, and help you reboot your retention strategy.
Supporting nurse wellbeing is another key consideration for CNOs who want to build a sustainable workforce. Cheryl Reinking, CNO at El Camino Health, recently spoke to HealthLeaders about nurse turnover rates and how they are impacted by burnout and workplace violence.
For CNOs who want to improve retention, Reinking believes the culture of recognition at the frontline is key. Workplace violence prevention is another critical piece of the strategy. Reinking also said they brought in a nurse retention specialist in 2024 to help build professional career development plans for nurses.
For Nurses Week, Reinking will join Alicia Potolsky, associate CNO at El Camino Health, on a panel moderated by Joel Ray, chief clinical advisor at Laudio, where they will discuss how El Camino Health successfully addressed key workforce challenges and improved wellbeing for its nursing staff.
Virtual nursing, AI, and other technological advancements have taken the nursing world by storm with the promise of reducing burdens for nurses at the bedside. Virtual nursing has proven valuable in shortening admission and discharge times, and it provides support at the bedside for patient observation and education.
For Nurses Week, the following leaders in nursing and technology are coming together to discuss the natural progression of virtual patient observation, from focused observation to broader clinical applications, and to demonstrate how virtual nursing creates new clinical pathways for delivering expert care while addressing staffing challenges and maximizing the impact of existing nursing resources.
Nurse turnover rates have been high since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's important for CNOs to reflect on what they can learn from that time.
HealthLeaders spoke to Cheryl Reinking, chief nursing officer at El Camino Health, about how the health system reduced its nurse turnover rate to 5%. Tune in to hear her insights.
CNOs should focus on reducing burdens, including staff, and partnering with informaticists when implementing AI, according to these nurse leaders.
The door is wide open for AI in healthcare, and as nurse leaders determine the best ways to utilize it, it's important to focus on the goal.
At the 2025 HealthLeaders CNO Exchange, the participating members discussed how AI should exist in nursing to support the work that nurses already do, at the bedside and beyond. AI is capable of providing the whole picture in the EHR, which can lead to impactful workflow redesign.
Most importantly, staff must be involved in implementation. Technology integration is at its best when it happens with nurses at the helm, as they will likely be using the technology most frequently and are tuned in to workflow gaps.
With all of this in mind, here are five things CNOs should focus on when integrating AI.
CNOs must commit to continuing wellbeing programs once they invest in them, says this nurse thought leader.
On this episode of HL Shorts, we hear from Diane Sieg, Registered Nurse, Author, Coach, and Creator of the Well-Being Coaching Initiative, about what CNOs can do to continue their wellbeing programs. Tune in to hear her insights.
Targeting burnout and workplace violence can help CNOs lower nurse turnover, according to this CNO.
Nurse turnover rates have been high since the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the five-year anniversary passes, it's important for CNOs to reflect on what they can learn from that time.
During the pandemic, nurses were feeling burnt out, and according to Cheryl Reinking, CNO at El Camino Health, overburdened both emotionally and physically. Now, burnout is still a critical issue in nursing, along with heavy workloads, documentation burdens, and workplace violence.
"We're coming out of that," Reinking said. "We’re still challenged with continuing to address the needs of the workforce as it pertains to burnout."
Since the pandemic, there have been some positive changes in nursing. Despite the continued prevalence of workplace violence incidents, Reinking cited the increased focus on flexibility and work-life balance, which Reinking calls "work-life integration."
"I think [work-life integration] is a great new term because I'm not sure there's ever any balance," Reinking said."
However, turnover rates continue to be a significant issue for many health systems. While many CNOs are still working towards solutions, Reinking and the leadership at El Camino Health have found the path forward.
What happened at El Camino Health?
According to Reinking, El Camino Health had a turnover rate of less than 5% before the pandemic. That number increased to about 12.7%.
"That's the highest it's ever been, and I've been here for 37 years, and I've never seen it that high," Reinking said. "Now that's lower, in fact, than half of what the national rate was at the time. However, for us that was tremendous."
The health system's turnover rate has since dropped back to 5%.
El Camino is a relatively small to medium-sized organization, Reinking explained, so they wanted to understand the contributing factors and root causes of the spiking turnover rate. One of those factors was engagement and recognition.
"[We make sure] we have recognition programs in place to address those many important activities and care practices that nurses bring to patient care and to the bedside," Reinking said.
Workplace violence prevention is another critical piece of the strategy. Reinking also said they brought in a nurse retention specialist in 2024 to help build professional career development plans for nurses.
"What we found is that nurses want a trajectory of advancement…especially the Gen Z [nurses] who are now in our workforce, they want to know what's next," Reinking said. "We want to make sure we create a plan for them to know what's next in their career trajectory while staying at El Camino Health."
Improving retention
For CNOs who want to improve retention, Reinking believes the culture of recognition at the frontline is key. To help increase that effort, El Camino Health is leveraging Laudio's software platform so nurse managers can recognize individuals for their birthday, work anniversary, or for working an extra shift.
"That's been tremendously well-accepted and has really been seen as boosting our engagement of our nurses," Reinking said.
To combat burnout, the health system hired a licensed clinical social worker who is trained in mental health support. That way, when something traumatic happens to a nurse, there is someone on staff who can help them work through the incident.
"This employee support specialist can meet in the moment with our clinical staff and help to be that decompression that they need, and that person they need to talk to about what just happened during their shift," Reinking said.
To mitigate workplace violence incidents, El Camino Health also implemented the CALM team, to address patients who begin to escalate their behavior. The program brings in mental health professionals in a proactive way to help address any unmet needs the patient might have, which according to Reinking is usually the reason why patients begin to escalate.
"We can help make sure that we're providing that unmet need through that mental health support at the bedside," Reinking said.
Ultimately, Reinking believes it takes a combination of strategies to lower retention rates.
"I wish there was a magic bullet, but we've been trying to understand all the different things and what's made the biggest difference," Reinking said.
Two big challenges for expanding virtual nursing are staffing shortages and cost, says this nurse informatics leader.
Making progress towards a virtual nursing goal is not without its trials and tribulations.
While health systems might want to take giant leaps and bounds forward, it's more likely that progress will happen slowly and methodically.
Clair Lunt, chief nursing informatics officer and senior director of nursing informatics at Mount Sinai Health system, recently gave HealthLeaders an update on the health system’s virtual nursing progress over the past year.
Clair is part of the HealthLeaders Virtual Nursing Mastermind program, which brings together several health systems to discuss the ins and outs of their virtual nursing programs and what their goals are now and for the future.
From then to now
At the beginning of the Virtual Nursing Mastermind program in 2024, Clair told HealthLeaders that the purpose of virtual nursing at Mount Sinai is primarily addressing the documentation burden nurses carry by having the virtual nurses complete the admission and discharge documentation and patient education. Since then, Clair said the program remains on track.
"Our program has remained in status quo over the past year," Clair said. "We are looking into expanding the tasks to include drop-in rounds."
The health system uses high-resolution cameras that are placed above TVs in the patients' rooms. The next step is to expand the technology to other areas.
"We are investigating how to use the service in non-conventional areas like observation units," Clair said.
Building on the foundation
Right now, Clair said the biggest challenges to the growth of the virtual nursing program are staffing and the cost.
"Staffing shortages on the units [are making] it difficult to create an in-house solution, so we use a third-party vendor to supply the virtual nursing staff" Clair said.
Discussions about expansion beyond the hospital have also not taken place, but Clair anticipates that they will in the future.
Clair also reported that the nurses have really embraced the program and that they have provided good feedback. In terms of hard ROI, the health system tracks several metrics.
"We are using metrics related to number of admissions, discharges, and education sessions completed by the virtual nurse," Clair said.
The HealthLeaders Mastermind seriesis an exclusive series of calls and events with healthcare executives. This Virtual NursingMastermind series features ideas, solutions, and insights onexcelling your virtual nursing program.Please join the community at our LinkedIn page.
To inquire about participating in an upcoming Mastermind series or attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
CNOs must be equipped with the skills to advocate for policies that will improve the lives of their nurses and help them deliver the best quality care to patients.
Nurses across the country are faced with many challenges, such as workplace violence and staffing ratios, that have potential legislative components.
In a discussion about advocacy and policy at the 2025 HealthLeaders CNO Exchange, the participating CNOs had several areas of focus for nurse leaders wanting to get involved in the legislative process.
Here is a checklist of what CNOs can do to get involved in political advocacy.
