If you are a leader of a U.S. hospital or healthcare system, the following numbers should give you pause. In 2024 alone, more than 287,000 staff nurses left their positions, and nearly 1.6 million say they intend to leave within five years. When a nurse leaves, the cost goes far beyond recruiting and onboarding. Hospitals lose continuity of care, unit-level know-how, and the working relationships that help high-stress clinical units function well. In a field already facing staffing pressure, turnover can quickly become a capacity problem as much as a people problem.