The ASHHRA Podcast
The ASHHRA Podcast is the definitive audio briefing for healthcare HR leaders navigating what’s next.
Hosted by Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan, this weekly podcast explores the forces reshaping the healthcare workforce, from talent shortages and leadership burnout to data-driven HR strategy, labor relations, and policy shifts that impact care delivery.
Each episode features candid conversations with CHROs, senior executives, and industry change-makers who are solving real problems inside hospitals and health systems right now. No theory, no fluff, just practical insight from leaders in the arena.
Listeners gain clarity on complex workforce challenges, early signals on emerging trends, and grounded perspectives that help bridge strategy and people operations. Whether you lead HR for a health system, support workforce strategy, or influence organizational culture, this podcast equips you to make better decisions with confidence.
New episodes drop weekly, with timely news updates, deep-dive conversations, and forward-looking insights designed for healthcare HR leaders preparing for 2026 and beyond.
The ASHHRA Podcast
#238 - RN Staffing Report: The Numbers That Matter
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$60,090 Per Nurse Exit, 3.35 Million Workers Finally Protected & Virtual Nursing Is Working
July 13th, 2026. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier cover three stories that all connect to the same question: are you doing everything you can to keep the people you have?
💰 The Number Your CFO Hasn't Modeled: $60,090
The NSI 2026 National Healthcare Retention and RN Staffing Report — 527 acute care hospitals, nearly a million workers — puts the cost to replace one staff RN at $60,090. National RN turnover is 17.6%, costing the average hospital $5.2 million annually. Every percentage point shift in turnover is worth $295,000. And 56.8% of all RN departures have less than two years of service.
Action: Bring $60,090 into your next budget conversation about retention. The ROI on almost any retention investment looks different at that baseline. Also: know how your health system makes money today. Ambulatory care is running 43% profit margins at some systems. Internal mobility toward high-margin service lines changes what you can invest everywhere else.
🧠 3.35 Million Healthcare Workers Can Now Seek Help Without Fear
The Dr. Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Protection Act was reauthorized for five more years. As of May 27th, more than 3.35 million healthcare workers now practice in states or systems that removed stigmatizing mental health questions from licensure applications — 44 medical boards, 9 nursing boards, 11 pharmacy boards have made the change.
Action: Check your state's status at the Lorna Breen Foundation tracker and share it with your CMO and credentialing team. If EAP utilization and wellness participation are low, the upstream problem may be built into the credentialing system itself.
📺 Virtual Nursing Is No Longer an Experiment
The 2026 CNO Survey from Wolters Kluwer: nearly 9 in 10 nurse leaders have adopted new care models and 90% say they are working. Across 10 health systems at scale — including Advocate, Ochsner, Henry Ford, Piedmont, and UC Health — one 69-hospital system saved 43,000 nursing hours in a year. Patient experience improved as much as 80% at some sites. Nursing turnover reduction saved one system $6.3 million.
Action: If this conversation is already happening in your clinical or operational teams, HR needs to be at that table. Which roles you recruit for, how you compensate, and how you design career paths for nurses shifting to virtual roles — that is an HR design problem.
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This episode is brought to you by AP3 — the ASHHRA Preferred Partner Program.
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Visit AP3.info to learn more and get connected with a partner.
News Links
Story 1 — NSI 2026 National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report
- Becker's: The Cost of Nurse Turnover in 10 Points — 2026
- Nurse.org: Nurse Turnover Is Rising Again — And It's Costing Hospitals Millions
- PeopleElement: The $60,090 Problem Most Health System CFOs Have Not Modeled
- NSI Nursing Solutions: 2026 National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report (Full PDF)
Story 2 — Dr. Lorna Breen: Mental Health Licensing Milestone
- Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation: More Than 3.35 Million Health Workers Now Practice in States and Systems That Support Their Mental Health
- AMA: Congress Extends Dr. Lorna Breen Law for Five Years
- Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation: Remove Barriers Initiative — Full Board Tracker
- J&J Nursing: Reauthorizing the Dr. Lorna Breen Act: Mental Health Support for Healthcare Workers
Story 3 — Virtual Nursing: What's Working