299: Is the nursing workforce stabilizing? What leaders should act on now.

299: Is the nursing workforce stabilizing? What leaders should act on now.

From Radio Advisory by Advisory Board

May 19, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the current state of the nursing workforce and the challenges that remain despite recent improvements.

After a decidedly difficult few years in the world of nursing, things have seemingly gotten better — at least, on paper. And that’s reflective of a lot of hard work on the part of nursing leaders. But when we look at how long nurses plan to stay in the profession, we see a different story taking shape. In this episode of Radio Advisory, host Abby Burns is joined by Advisory Board nursing expert Ali Knight and Optum expert Sherilynn Quist. Together, they unpack what today’s workforce data is really telling us and what it misses, the root causes driving nurses’ discontent, and why strengthening the nursing workforce can’t be left to nurse leaders alone. We’re here to help: Episode | 274: The nurse engagement tactic leaders may be missing Expert Insight | Labor costs continue to go up. What does it mean for health systems? Expert Insight | Engage frontline staff to increase margin Webinar | 5 key trends shaping the nursing workforce today Webinar | Inform your workforce decisions with Advisory Board's benchmarks Learn more | Optum Advisory: Sustainable Growth and Margin Consulting 5 strategies to close gaps in bladder cancer care A transcript of this episode as well as more…

People in this episode

Host: Abby Burns

Guests: Ali Knight, Sherilynn Quist

Topics covered

  • nursing workforce
  • nurse engagement
  • healthcare leadership
  • workforce data
  • nurse retention

Keywords

  • nursing workforce
  • nurse retention
  • healthcare leadership
  • workforce data
  • nurse engagement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Optum, Advisory Board

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