💸 The Real Cost of Nurse Turnover in Hospice — and How to Cut It

Picture this: a hospice director walks into Monday rounds and sees an empty chair where a trusted RN used to sit. Another resignation. Another hole to fill. In hospice, that isn’t just a vacancy — it’s a relationship lost. Patients who trusted her voice, families who relied on her calm, all left in a moment of transition. And behind that moment sits a quieter story told in numbers most operators can’t ignore.

🧮 The True Price Tag

• For 100–300 daily census: annual RN turnover costs often land between $150,000–$350,000.
• Average RN replacement cost: ~$60,000 (recruiting, onboarding, orientation, ramp time).
• Hospice RN turnover rate: ~25% annually.
• Typical RN staff for 200 patients: ~14 nurses.
• Estimated annual turnover cost: ~$210,000.

That’s a quarter-million dollars that could fund pay adjustments, new tech, or expanded services — instead, it’s spent just getting back to even.

🧩 Why Turnover Hits So Hard

• Emotional toll: Hospice work asks for heart; short staffing multiplies the burden.
• Lost productivity: Overtime, schedule juggling, and slower visits during ramp-up.
• Ripple effect: Open roles strain the team, morale dips, and more resignations follow.
• Patient risk: Continuity breaks; families feel the shift in communication and trust.

✅ How Inhouse Recruiting Solutions Lowers Those Costs

Reactive hiring keeps you scrambling. We replace that cycle with a steady, proactive pipeline — so qualified hospice RNs are ready before the next empty chair appears.

• No placement fees per hire — ever.
• Fixed monthly cost based on your open roles by specialty and location.
• Unlimited hiring — fill multiple roles or over-hire PRN nurses with no extra charges.
• Continuous pipeline — predictable candidate flow so census stays covered and care stays uninterrupted.

This model gives you flexibility to stay ahead of staffing needs, reduce turnover risk, and protect continuity of care.

💬 Let’s Build a Stronger Hospice Workforce

If you’re ready to stop reacting and start planning, we’re here to help. Together, we’ll design a recruiting solution that’s predictable, scalable, and cost-effective — built around what matters most: continuity of care and the nurses who make it possible.

📩 Contact Inhouse Recruiting Solutions to start building your pipeline today.