| Turnover has been a consistent problem in LTC with rates ranging from 52% to 200%. The true cost of replacing a single nurse includes factoring in the costs of advertising, interviewing, overtime/agency fees, and orientation. The dollar estimates of replacing a single nurse skilled in geriatric nursing range from {dollar}14,750 to {dollar}59,550. In addition to the actual dollar costs of turnover, vacant positions impact productivity, efficiency, and quality of care. If the LTC industry is to be successful, the industry must address high turnover rates. Without a stable staff, the LTC industry will not be positioned to meet the increasing demands for quality care of an aging population.; Based on Kanter's theory, this study tested the impact of facility ownership, the staff's perceptions of the DONs' power, and the staffs level of empowerment on staff nurses' intent to stay. Staff nurses from 32 facilities in three mid-western states were surveyed. Despite low response rates, valuable information was gained. The data supported Kanter's theory and revealed that the type of facility ownership, the staff's perceptions of the DONs' power, and the staff s level of empowerment significantly impact the staff's intent to stay. The data suggest that organizations with powerful DONs who in turn empower his/her staff will increase the nurses' intent to stay. Family ownership resulted in significantly higher intent to stay scores as compared to responses from a large corporate system.; Recommendations include: (a) replication of this study utilizing larger numbers of facilities operated under different types of ownership, (b) development of strategies to increase response rates, and (c) expansion of the research to include the impact of these variables on State Board of Health survey results. |
