MINNEAPOLIS — A new workforce report from the Minnesota Hospital Association shows a promising turnaround when it comes to nurse staffing levels.
Since the pandemic, nurse vacancy rates have skyrocketed, but now, signs of improvement.
“This annual report shows that we seem to be making a turnaround when it comes to our nursing workforce,” said Rahul Koranne, President and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association.
In 2023, nurse vacancy rates were about 15%. That number has now dropped to 11%.
“However, the vacancy rates in nursing is still three times what we saw before the pandemic,” said Koranne.
The latest numbers are still a far cry from the 3% vacancy rate of five years ago.
While the report does not pinpoint a specific cause for the improvement, it said that this coincides with the biggest rise in average nurse compensation in more than a decade.
A report from Becker’s Hospital Review shows Minnesota nurses make some of the best money in the country, only behind California, when adjusted for cost of living.