An aging veteran population with a median age of 65, their inferior health status, and the rapidly growing number of women veterans propel veterans affairs (VA) hospitals to provide a wide range of nursing services. However, despite the significant roles of nurses and chronic nurse shortages in VA hospitals, there has been little research on the determinants of nurse turnover in the VA healthcare system. This study analyzed registered nurse turnover rates at a panel of 118 VA hospitals from 2015 through 2017 and found that nurse turnover is significantly influenced by patient mortality, job satisfaction, annual salary level, and preventable hospitalizations. These findings suggest that VA hospitals should maintain proper nurse workloads and implement programs that can improve nurses’ stress level and job satisfaction.
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