"They Use You For Your License": An Analysis of Nursing Home Administrator Turnover and Retention

Abstract

Turnover among nursing home staff has been a persistent issue for decades, and turnover among administrators has been importantly linked to the quality of care provided by nursing homes, nursing homes’ financial performance, and turnover among other staff in nursing homes. Therefore, reducing administrator turnover is one important step in improving nursing home performance and outcomes. This study of nursing home administrator turnover and retention in Ohio found that nursing home administrators experience multiple stressors on several levels, specifically organizational, environmental, and personal. Regardless of tenure at the current nursing home, Nursing home administrators reported that no one factor led to turnover, but that turnover was caused by burnout resulting from these myriad stressors.