The Value of Well-Prepared Nurses

With roughly 3.5 million RNs working across the United States, investing in the professional development of nurses is an investment in one of the largest assets utilized by healthcare facilities (HRSA, 2024). From their unique perspective at the bedside, nurses are at the center of patient care delivery, serving as advocates, educators, and clinical decision-makers. This gives them a unique opportunity to influence costs associated with care delivery. In this position, supporting the practice advancement of RNs is one of the most impactful steps healthcare organizations can take to improve operating margins. 

Explored in the Nursing Human Capital Value Model, “the economic value of nursing lies in the return on investment in nursing human capital” (Yakusheva, 2024). As nurses strengthen their practice, they create an economic value to their facilities through lower expenses associated with the nursing workforce and from adverse events. Along this journey, investing in learning pathways towards specialty certification can be the connector between efficient, well-prepared nurses and cost-savings from an effective workforce. 

The Price of Resilience

According to Becker’s Hospital Review, in 2025 the average turnover cost of one RN rose to $61,110, and each percent change in RN turnover can cost or save a facility $289,000 on average (Gamble, 2025). With the high cost of staffing, the value of retaining experienced nurses also increases. In a study published in the International Journal of Nursing Science, nurse engagement was found to have a close relationship with job satisfaction and intent to leave for practicing caregivers. The same study also found that “more certified nurses reported high or very high job satisfaction than non-certified nurses” (Wei, 2023). 

Being supported with learning pathways towards certification helps to engage nurses with their practice while nurturing their passion for caretaking throughout their career. Research published in The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing found that when assessed pre- and post- certification, RNs reported higher satisfaction in practice, assigned tasks, and team interactions. As a result, certified RNs are more likely to remain with their employer, contributing to a more stable, experienced workforce that sustains quality patient care (Lange, 2009). With more opportunities to advance their skills, nurses gain job satisfaction, confidence, and resilience in practice, which lays the foundation for high retention and associated cost-savings. 

Savings from Safer Patient Care

It has been estimated that avoidable medical errors cost the United States upwards of $17.1 billion annually (Van Den Bos, 2011). With their unique positioning in patient care, certified nurses have the resources to better navigate high-risk situations, clinical decision-making, and coordinate care to avoid these costs. As outlined in Nursing Administration Quarterly, a cross-sectional study of 191 facilities found lowering turnover rates resulted in saving avoidable costs from patient falls estimated at $23,341 per unit for every 1000 patient days (Pascale, 2026). Additional research published in AORN Journal (Boyle, 2014) found “lower rates of central-line–associated bloodstream infections…were significantly associated with higher rates of” certified nurses on staff. Such CLABSI  infections are estimated to cost $48,108 per case (AHRQ, 2017). In strengthening and validating their skills, nurses with access to certification pathways are better prepared to apply clinical reasoning, adapt to complex patient situations, and deliver safer, high-quality care. In this way, certified RNs enhance patient outcomes while reducing errors, improving communication, and delivering the latest evidence-based practice. 

With a unique perspective at the bedside, investing in the development of RNs can transform a healthcare facility’s financial bottom line. As nurses expand their understanding of patient care, organizations can benefit from a stable workforce and fewer avoidable adverse events. A recent study conducted by the American Nurse Enterprise even found “investments in safety and well-being, recruitment and retention, and… were most strongly and positively associated with operating margin” (Yakusheva, 2026). Through investing in learning opportunities towards specialty certification, healthcare organizations can effectively optimize their nursing workforce and gain a reduction in expenses along the way. 

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2017). Estimating the additional hospital inpatient cost and mortality associated with selected hospital-acquired conditions. https://www.ahrq.gov/hai/pfp/haccost2017-results.html 

Boyle, D., Cramer, E., Potter, C., Gatua, M., & Stobinski, J. (2014). The relationship between direct-care RN specialty certification and surgical patient outcomes. AORN Journal, 100(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2014.04.018

Gamble, M. (2025). The cost of nurse turnover in 24 numbers | 2025. Becker’s Hospital Review. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/the-cost-of-nurse-turnover-in-24-numbers-2025/ 

Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). (2024). 2022 National sample survey of registered nurses snapshot. https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/Nurse-Survey-Fact-Sheet-2024.pdf 

Lange, J., Wallace, M., Gerard, S., Lovanio, K., Fausty, N., & Rychlewicz, S. (2009). Effect of an acute care geriatric educational program on fall rates and nurse work satisfaction. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 40(8), 371–379. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20090723-03 

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. DOI: 10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000709

Van Den Bos, J., Rustagi, K., Gray, T., Halford, M., Ziemkiewicz, E., & Shreve, J. (2011). The $17.1 billion problem: the annual cost of measurable medical errors. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 30(4), 596–603. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0084 

Wei, H., Horsley, L., Cao, Y., Haddad, L. M., Hall, K. C., Robinson, R., Powers, M., & Anderson, D. G. (2023). The associations among nurse work engagement, job satisfaction, quality of care, and intent to leave: A national survey in the United States. International journal of nursing sciences, 10(4), 476–484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2023.09.010 

Yakusheva, O., Weiss, M. (2026). The INVEST study: Investments in nursing value: Evidence for sustainable transformation. American Nurse Enterprise. https://4850206.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4850206/ANCC/INVEST%20Study%20Results%20Summary.pdf 

Yakusheva, O., Lee, K., Weiss, M. (2024). The Nursing Human Capital Model. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 160, 104890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2024.104890 

To Cite This Article

Carden, I. (2026, June 16). The Value of Well-Prepared Nurses. TruMont.