Press Releases

NYC Health + Hospitals Significantly Improves Nurse Retention

Nurse turnover rate is 7.3% in 2025 to date, far below the national average of 16.4%, saving millions in nurse turnover costs

Aug 21, 2025

NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that its significant commitment to professional development and staff engagement have produced robust results for its nurse retention and recruitment initiatives, substantially strengthening its 9,600-strong nursing workforce. NYC Health + Hospitals’ professional development and staff engagement initiatives for nurses have resulted in a turnover rate of just 7.3% in 2025 to date, far below the national average of 16.4%, saving the health system more than $88 million in nurse turnover costs. As recently as 2019, the public hospital system’s staff nurse turnover rate was 46%. Furthermore, the health care system hired 3,417 nurses in 2024 alone, replacing many temporary nurses who had held those positions, saving more than $150 million in recruitment costs. In addition to the cost savings, the hiring of additional permanent staff nurses is an investment in the health system’s workforce, as it ensures patients are served by permanent employees who are committed to the mission, come from the community, and build institutional knowledge. Key strategies to develop the health system’s nurse workforce include the Nurse Residency Program, Professional Shared Governance, Nursing Clinical Ladder Program, nursing recognition events, collaborative recruitment efforts and hiring fairs, systemwide communications strategies and specialized nursing fellowships and training programs to onboard new nurses and provide nurses with enhanced professional development opportunities.

“Our nurses are on the frontlines of keeping New York City healthy and helping families in their time of need. That is why we have invested in proven strategies to recruit and retain our nurses, with turnover rates at NYC Health + Hospitals well below the national average,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “In 2024 alone, we hired over 3,400 nurses, giving them permanent jobs in our health care system and providing them with workforce and professional development because being a nurse at NYC Health + Hospitals, isn’t just a job, it’s a career. Our administration has broken the city jobs record 11 times, and this work extends to how we are caring for our own employees. We thank NYC Health + Hospitals for the work they are doing to create lifelong career opportunities and serve communities across our city.”

“Nurses are the heart of every hospital, and over the past few years we have been investing in initiatives to show our nursing workforce how important they are to us,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “Today’s record-low nurse turnover rate shows that we are making NYC Health + Hospitals an exciting place for nurses to work and build their careers. I want to thank our Chief Nursing Executive Natalia Cineas, Chief Nursing Officers, and their teams for their incredible work building an array of fellowships and professional development programs that help us attract high quality nurses who provide exceptional patient care.”

“NYC Health + Hospitals is intently focused on bolstering our nursing workforce and creating a transformative culture of nursing excellence,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive Natalia Cineas, DNP, MSM-N, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, FADLN.“We are implementing myriad programs designed to support nursing professional development and staff engagement, and these initiatives are driving visible and consequential reductions in nurse turnover. At the same time, we are expanding our collaborative nursing recruitment programs and providing newly-hired nurses with specialized training, education and mentoring services in order to assist them in the transition-to-practice, thereby supporting and retaining the nurses that deliver quality healthcare throughout New York City.”

NYC Health + Hospitals nurse turnover rates in each of the past five years have outperformed national benchmarks. In 2024, for instance, NYC Health + Hospitals’ staff registered nurse turnover rate was 15.3%, versus the national average of 16.4%. From the start of 2025 to date, NYC Health + Hospitals’ staff registered nurse turnover rate stands at 7.3%.

The following training and professional development initiatives created and implemented by NYC Health + Hospitals have been instrumental in the health care system’s strong retention and recruitment performance:

• Nurse Residency Program: Launched in 2019 as a part of a consortium of New York City’s public and private hospitals, NYC Health + Hospitals’ pioneering Nurse Residency Program has enrolled more than 2,600 nurse residents to date, representing more than 35% of the citywide total. This 12-month program provides newly-hired nurses with specialized training, education, and mentoring services and is a nationally-recognized, evidence-based best practice for improving nurse satisfaction, performance, and retention. Prior to the program’s launch, the public hospital system’s staff nurse turnover rate was 46%. By 2021, the turnover rate, dropped to 17.3%, a clear indication of the program’s impact.
• Professional Shared Governance: NYC Health + Hospitals is deeply committed to fostering a professional practice environment that embraces the Professional Shared Governance evidence-based practice model and currently has established 181 Councils. The nurse-led initiative aims to enhance nurse engagement by ensuring that frontline care providers are active participants in the public health care system’s decision-making processes.
• Nursing Clinical Ladder Program: Developed in partnership with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), the Nursing Clinical Ladder Program is designed to promote outstanding staff nurses and support their professional growth, helping nurses take their careers to the next level. The program aims to foster and acknowledge nurses’ expertise and elevate their contributions to the profession, providing a unique opportunity for staff nurses, accountable care managers, head nurses, and assistant head nurses to engage in comprehensive career and professional development. The Nursing Clinical Ladder Program continues to grow every year. Since 2020, applications have more than doubled, rising 228% from 1,701 applications five years ago to 3,875 applications in 2025 to date. As a program enhancement, the public hospital system holds an annual Clinical Ladder Program Day to celebrate and recognize previous year’s participants and the work that they have successfully completed.
• Fellowships: NYC Health + Hospitals has established several important nursing fellowship programs to promote professional development among nurses and provide career pathways for ancillary staff to become nurses. These fellowships include:
  • Emergency Department Fellowship: The Office of Patient Centered Care initiated a groundbreaking Emergency Department Nursing Fellowship Program in May 2023, providing an exciting opportunity for nurses with no prior emergency department clinical experience to develop the skills and expertise necessary to address the complex and fast-paced challenges of the emergency environment. ED Nursing Fellows are empowered with the hands-on training and critical thinking skills required to provide expert care to emergency room patients, including comprehensive patient assessments and rapid identification of life-threatening conditions. These clinical skills allow ED Nurse Fellows to provide efficient and effective emergency care, leading directly to improving patient outcomes.
  • Critical Care Fellowship: NYC Health + Hospitals debuted the Critical Care Nursing Fellowship in April 2024 to train nurses to provide high-quality care to critically ill patients. The Critical Care Nursing Fellowship focuses on critical care within a range of specialties and includes simulation; didactic, on-site experiences; clinical rotations in emergency, post-anesthesia care units (PACU) and telemetry/stepdown units; and providing an interactive and personalized learning experience. The 20-week fellowship program is open to all newly-hired staff nurses, RNs who are transitioning to a new area of clinical practice with no prior medical/surgical experience, and PCT/PCA/LPN incumbent staff who are newly-graduated RNs.
  • Operating Room Fellowship: The Office of Patient Centered Care initiated a specialized Operating Room Fellowship in August 2024 for nurses pursuing careers in the perioperative setting. Perioperative nursing encompasses a broad range of nursing duties related to the surgical management of patients before, during, and after surgery, ensuring their surgeries are safe and successful. This nursing specialization requires RNs to collaborate closely with other surgical healthcare professionals as part of a cohesive team. The fellowship provides a structured transition-to-practice pathway for new graduate nurses or nurses new to perioperative settings and is open to newly licensed RNs or nurses transitioning into perioperative nursing. The fellowship aims to develop clinical confidence, critical thinking, and specialty competence in perioperative nursing care.
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Fellowship: NYC Health + Hospitals has created a new NICU Fellowship launching in September 2025, for newly licensed registered nurses or nurses transitioning into neonatal critical care. The fellowship is designed to bridge the gap between nursing school and independent neonatal practice and is tailored to nurses wishing to build a long-term career in Level III or IV NICU settings. The NICU Fellowship provides a structured transition-to-practice pathway for new graduate nurses or nurses new to NICU, helping them develop clinical confidence, critical thinking, and specialty competence in neonatal care.

• Nurse Recognition Events: NYC Health + Hospitals celebrates its nurses and their achievements with numerous special events scheduled throughout the year, including:
  • Nursing Excellence Awards: The annual Nursing Excellence Awards recognize the “best of the best” among NYC Health + Hospitals’ more than 9,600 nurses. Awards are reserved for nurses who go above and beyond to serve with distinction, dedication, and leadership, epitomizing the mission, vision, and values of the public health care system. The 30-plus nurses recognized are nominated by their peers for demonstrating a consistent commitment to providing the best possible care experience for their patients. The Nursing Excellence Awards are a momentous opportunity to celebrate the dedication, caring, and compassion of our nurses and demonstrate NYC Health + Hospitals’ guiding principles to pursue excellence in the clinical, educational, leadership, and service aspects of the nursing profession.
  • Doctoral Circle of Excellence: NYC Health + Hospitals instituted the annual Doctoral Circle of Excellence ceremony in 2022, a recognition program that celebrates the impressive educational accomplishments of nurses who have attained doctoral degrees. To date, the three Doctoral Circle of Excellence ceremonies have honored 146 nurses across the system for their significant career achievement.

• Commitment to Nursing Excellence: The Office of Patient Centered Care is committed to ensuring that NYC Health + Hospitals’ nurses consistently deliver the best care experience for their patients and pursue nursing excellence at every level. This commitment is recognized internationally by leading professional nursing associations with high-profile designations, including:
  • The Pathway to Excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center is a global credential that highlights a commitment to creating a healthy work environment where nurses feel empowered and valued. Five facilities have earned this recognition, including NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, the first acute care hospital in the nation to earn the Pathway to Excellence with Distinction honor; NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter, the nation’s first and only long-term care facility to earn Pathway to Excellence with Distinction; NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County; NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens; and NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health.
  • The Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: This prestigious unit-based designation has been awarded to 17 nursing units across the public health care system. The Beacon Award for Excellence is a significant milestone in the creation of exceptional patient care and healthy work environments that recognizes nursing unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align their practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Nursing units are eligible for a three-year award with a either a gold, silver, or bronze designation. Beacon awardees set the standard for excellence in patient care environments by collecting and using evidence-based information to improve patient outcomes, as well as achieve greater staff and patient satisfaction.
  • The Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association honors emergency department nurses that have demonstrated exceptional and innovate  leadership, practice, education, advocacy, and research. NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, and NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health have received the Lantern Award.
  • Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Recognition: NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue was designated an AORN Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens received the AORN’s highest designation for both the Association’s Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety for Preventing RSI and its Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety for Go Clear – Smoke Free. AORN’s Prevention of RSI designation is part of its education and recognition program for perioperative teams to prevent near misses and the consequences of unintentionally retained surgical items (RSI). AORN’s Go Clear – Smoke Free designation is a comprehensive surgical smoke-free recognition program to ensure a smoke-free environment wherever surgical smoke is generated to protect patient and worker safety.
  • The PRISMAward from the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB) is a distinction reserved for select units that achieve and maintain sustained excellence in patient care and care management; holistic patient care; interprofessional care, professional concepts; and nursing teamwork and collaboration. In June 2025, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens’ B4 East Medical-Surgical Unit was recognized as a premier care team with this designation.

• Communications Strategies: Recognizing that effective, engaging communication is the cornerstone of effective leadership, the Office of Patient Centered Care regularly directs and shares nursing information systemwide. Key communications platforms include an informational series of bi-monthly Fireside Chats, regularly-scheduled Chief Nursing Executive Town Halls, and annual educational symposiums and workshops. Other informational sessions include special virtual and in-person summits spotlighting issues of concern — such as emergency response, falls and injury prevention, and wound care and pressure injury prevention — as well as special events for various nursing specialties, such as nursing informatics, and simulation.

• Recruitment Efforts:
  • NYC Health + Hospitals is promoting its welcoming workplace for new nurses, launching a major nursing recruitment effort — “Nurses4NYC” — a collaborative effort between its Office of Patient Centered Care, Office of Communications and Marketing, and Human Resources Department.
  • Additionally, NYC Health + Hospitals and the City University of New York (CUNY) have established a partnership to help place new, diverse, highly-trained nurses throughout NYC Health + Hospitals facilities by drawing from 1,800 CUNY nursing students who graduate each year. A cornerstone of this collaboration is a unique nursing academic-practice partnership created by NYC Health + Hospitals and CUNY, called the CUNY – Health + Hospitals Academic-Practice Partnership (CHAPP). Existing NYC Health + Hospitals nursing staff can access more than 50 nursing advanced credit-bearing certificate and degree programs through CUNY institutions, including nursing programs at both senior and community colleges. NYC Health + Hospitals employs more CUNY nurses than any other health system in New York City.

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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.