specialty with lowest turnover rate?

[thekid]

Has there been any research, or general consensus about a specialty or area of nursing that has a very low turnover rate due to ..ahem..job satisfaction?

just wondering..

[anonymurse]

Just guessing--school nursing?

[mblount]

In all the years I have worked I have found that the L&D nurses tend to stay put longer then any other area. More of their patient loads are happy patients then not.

[ohcomeon]

I have heard the OR. They say once nurses start working there, they never want to leave.

[mblount]

I have heard that also.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

There have actually been published reports in the past about this very subject. As I recall, ambulatory care nurses are the happiest. I was surprised to see that oncology nurses were waaay up there in satisfaction with NICU & L&D.. OR was on the list also. I guess it is all about connecting with your passion.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Sorry - meant to add this also. School nurses were found to be increasingly unhappy. Their salaries are very low, and their jobs are becoming more stressful since medically fragile children have been mainstreamed into the regular student population.

[rn/writer, RN]

I know there is a fairly low turnover rate on the postpartum unit where I work. In general, it's a happy place. We get to spend time (especially on nights) with our patients and it's great if you like teaching. Some of my co-workers have been around 25+ years and are still going strong.

[cardiacmadeline, RN]

I agree with the OR and ambulatory nurses. I never see job openings for these positions in my hospital.

[thekid]

I know there is a fairly low turnover rate on the postpartum unit where I work. In general, it's a happy place. We get to spend time (especially on nights) with our patients and it's great if you like teaching. Some of my co-workers have been around 25+ years and are still going strong.

L and D and/or postpartum is my passion, I'd love to get in somewhere but all hospitals in my area require experience. Catch 22.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I don't know about the lowest turnover rate, but the nursing specialty that definitely has the highest employee turnover rate is long term care, also known as elder care. Many nursing homes in the U.S. have employee turnover rates that easily exceed 100%. The fast food industry in America has an employee turnover rate of 130%, so go figure.

Turnover rates in nursing homes have been persistently high for decades, ranging upwards of 100%.

A high employee-turnover rate has been a perennial problem for fast-food restaurants. Last year the rate rose to 130 percent.

The 'Burgh Works: McDonald's tries to keep workers from flipping jobs

The costs of turnover in nursing homes. [Med Care. 2009] - PubMed result

[amarobin]

I think the areas with the lowest turnover rate have to do with how happy the nurses are on the unit and that has more to do with teamwork and morale than the particular area. Nursing is like any other job in the sense that you can be doing the thing you love the most but if you are in a negative environment with low morale and no support you are going to look for other options.