How to Build a Culture Nurses Don't Want to Leave

Nurse turnover is one of the most persistent challenges in healthcare leadership, and one of the clearest signals an organization sends about its culture. So how do you build a culture nurses don't want to leave?

In this episode, Charlene talks with Cheryl Reinking, Chief Nursing Officer at El Camino Health, which recently earned its fifth Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, placing it among fewer than 2% of hospitals nationwide. Cheryl has spent nearly four decades at El Camino, and she walks through what 20 years of sustained Magnet excellence actually looks like at the manager and frontline level, including how the organization brought its post-COVID turnover rate from a peak of 12.7% back below 5%.

We also get into the business case: how Cheryl uses her hospital foundation to fund retention pilots, what she puts in an ROI plan, and what kinds of recognition actually move the needle versus the kinds that don't.

What's covered:

(00:58) What it takes to sustain Magnet designation over 20 years

(02:59) What Magnet looks like in practice at the manager and frontline level

(07:30) A nurse manager's typical Tuesday morning at El Camino

(09:25) Software platforms and the role of a dedicated nurse retention specialist

(14:00) How El Camino brought turnover back below 5% after the pandemic

(17:15) Building the business case for retention investments

(21:18) Recognition that moves the needle vs. recognition that doesn't

(23:30) What Cheryl wishes she'd known earlier about retention

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)

Guest:

Cheryl Reinking, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, DipACLM — Chief Nursing Officer, El Camino Health
linkedin.com/in/cherylreinking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylreinking/

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month.

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