Developing Experienced Nurses to Stabilize the Workforce

There are many factors impacting the nursing workforce, including retirement waves, high turnover, and increasingly complex patient needs (Nevada State University, 2025). As large numbers of RNs plan to retire and more novice nurses fill their roles in the workforce, the net level of experience can decrease in response. Alongside a time of increasingly complex care, an experience-complexity gap is the resulting impact on the nursing workforce (Advisory Board, 2023). Without effectively preserving years of expertise, this gap can diminish the quality of care a healthcare facility can provide, alongside the stability of the workforce. 

In addressing these concerns, optimizing an organization's current nursing workforce is the greatest asset in preserving the skill level of staff. Through preceptor-mentor development, practice advancement opportunities, and leadership skill building, healthcare organizations can boost retention and prepare RNs to meet evolving patient needs. 

Preceptor-Mentor Development

When experienced nurses provide guidance, they cultivate an environment of continuous learning as novice nurses gain the space to openly ask questions and strengthen their critical thinking skills. According to a study in Nurse Leader, positive preceptor-mentor relationships can lead to enhanced retention of new grad RNs, professional communication, and collaboration (Gularte-Rinaldo, 2022). In this way, preceptor-mentor opportunities are invaluable in preserving the experiences and clinical insights of seasoned nursing staff. 

To optimize this experience, preceptor-mentor development programs equip experienced nurses with the training needed to effectively step into this role. Preparing nurses to fill this position enhances the two-way learning preceptor/mentorship creates and helps them better connect to newer nurses. With education support, RNs in this position benefit from instruction on adult learning styles, communication techniques, and delivering feedback. Preceptor/mentor education has been found to be advantageous to one’s approach, understanding of the teaching and learning process, and professional development (Myrick, 2011). By nurturing such collaborative professional relationships, healthcare facilities strengthen their nursing workforce and improve retention throughout multiple phases of the pipeline.

Practice Advancement Opportunities

Creating pathways for practice advancement helps to strengthen the nursing workforce in two ways. Firstly, this strategy supports enhanced job satisfaction and can foster resilience, helping to curb burnout. Secondly, it encourages experienced nurses to pursue specialty certification, which both improves retention and patient outcomes. Discussed in a literature review presented at the International Council of Nurses, “in the context of nursing shortages and increasing burnout, certification offers a strategic approach to retain skilled nurses and enhance patient care quality” (Bautista, 2025). 

Additionally, healthcare facilities can lower expenses long-term through improved patient outcomes, enhanced collaboration, and lower turnover rates. According to research published in Nursing Administration Quarterly, lowering turnover rates results in saving replacement costs estimated at $56,000 for one RN and avoidable costs from patient falls estimated at $23,341 per unit for every 1000 patient days (Pascale, 2026). Through supporting advancement opportunities, healthcare facilities can both stabilize their workforce and gain cost savings from strengthening the practice and relationships of nursing teams. 

Build Leadership Skills

With the unpredictable and time-sensitive nature of healthcare, nurses need to feel comfortable leading in all patient situations. This makes the strength of these qualities an integral element to delivering quality patient care, effective collaboration, and long-term workforce development. As RNs build leadership traits, they nurture the empathy and confidence necessary to be a successful caregiver and colleague. Cultivating such competencies, RNs possess the ability to motivate, guide, and support their peers in a way that benefits how the care team interacts with patients (Northeastern University, 2026). 

Opportunities to develop leadership qualities encourage caregivers along this path. Research has found that healthcare organizations that offer leadership programs were associated with having a staff with enhanced confidence in practice, improved patient safety and satisfaction, as well as benefiting nonparticipating staff (Seidman, 2020). With appropriate learning programs, nurses are supplied with the information to take charge of patient care and are prepared for a wider scope of responsibilities. At the same time, healthcare facilities gain a more skilled and adaptable workforce.

By encouraging preceptor-mentor development, practice advancement opportunities, and building leadership skills, healthcare facilities can effectively develop their experienced nurses to stabilize their nursing workforce. As nurses validate their skills and demonstrate their commitment to nursing, they are more confident in delivering quality patient care with improved resilience and advanced knowledge. On this journey, strengthening experienced nurses can be the key to a long-term nursing workforce pipeline. 

References

Bautista, M., Furtado, L., Huntley, J. (2025). Enhancing job satisfaction & retention in the nursing workforce with specialty certification. American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification. https://www.cpancapa.org/abstract-enhancing-job-satisfaction-retention-in-the-nursing-workforce-with-specialty-certification/ 

Gularte-Rinaldo, J., Baumgardner, R., Tilton, T., & Brailoff, V. (2023). Mentorship ReSPeCT study: A nurse mentorship program's impact on transition to practice and decision to remain in nursing for newly graduated nurses. Nurse Leader, 21(2), 262–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2022.07.003 

Myrick, F., Caplan, W., Smitten, J., Rusk, K. (2011 April). Preceptor/mentor education: A world of possibilities through e-learning technology. Nurse Education Today, 31(3), 263-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2010.10.026 

Nevada State University. (2025, July 14). Nursing workforce shortages and high demand for BSN nurses. https://nevadastate.edu/son/rn-bsn/nursing-workforce-shortages-and-high-demand-for-bsn-nurses/ 

Northeastern University Bouve College of Health Sciences School of Nursing. (2026 January 6). Leadership skills in nursing: From classroom to clinical practice. https://absn.northeastern.edu/blog/leadership-skills-in-nursing/ 

Pascale, A., Welch, T., Smith, T., Warshawsky, N. (2026). Reducing nurse turnover: A key strategy for lowering patient falls and costs. Nursing Administration Quarterly 50(2), 119-122. https://journals.lww.com/naqjournal/fulltext/2026/04000/reducing_nurse_turnover__a_key_strategy_for.10.aspx 

Seidman, G., Pascal, L., McDonough, J. (2020). What benefits do healthcare organisations receive from leadership and management development programmes? A systematic review of the evidence. BMJ Leader, 4(1). 21-36.

Westhead, M., Paiewonsky, A. (2023, May 18). The experience-complexity gap. Advisory Board. https://www.advisory.com/topics/nursing/2023/05/the-experience-complexity-gap 

To Cite This Article

Carden, I. (2026, April 21). Developing Experienced Nurses to Stabilize the Workforce. TruMont.