In today’s healthcare landscape, hospitals are feeling the pressure on two fronts: keeping qualified, compassionate staff and improving patient satisfaction scores. These aren’t just HR or clinical issues, they impact culture, reputation, and reimbursement. Over time, I’ve come to believe strongly in one of the most underutilized tools for tackling both: continuing education.
Let’s start with the staff side. Turnover, especially among nurses, continues to be a major hurdle. According to the 2024 National Healthcare Retention & RN Staffing Report1, hospital turnover rates average between 17% and 19%. First-year nurses often leave within 12 months, and replacing just one can cost upwards of $50,000. But the impact goes beyond dollars. High turnover weakens team morale, strains care continuity, and can ripple into patient outcomes.
That’s where continuing education comes in. It’s more than compliance—it’s connection. A 2024 report from ShiftMed2 named education and development as one of the top three drivers of nurse retention. Hospitals that invest in upskilling and professional growth see staff that stay longer, feel more valued, and often rise into leadership roles. OSF Healthcare, for example, launched a corporate university offering structured learning paths. The result? Faster onboarding, more engaged employees, and stronger retention.
At CareerSmart Learning, we’ve seen these outcomes echoed across many of our healthcare partners. Our Healthcare Education Platform offers accredited, on-demand training that organizations can tailor to their unique needs, whether that’s a new hire orientation program or tuition reimbursement to help nurses pursue advanced degrees.
But supporting staff development doesn’t just solve internal challenges—it influences the patient experience in a direct and measurable way.
The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey is the voice of the patient in data form. It evaluates nurse responsiveness, communication, discharge instructions, and other care elements from the patient’s perspective. And because it directly affects CMS reimbursement through value-based purchasing, HCAHPS isn’t just about optics—it’s about outcomes.
There’s growing evidence that continuing education has a real, positive impact on HCAHPS scores. A 2023 integrative review published in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality4 found that staff education programs focused on patient communication and discharge planning improved key HCAHPS domains. We’ve supported this at CareerSmart with courses that enhance therapeutic communication and patient education—skills that help nurses connect with patients, clarify next steps, and reduce confusion during care transitions.
Providence St. Joseph Health is a great example. They implemented a Clinical Academy including education around empathy and discharge communication. Over time, they saw their first-year nurse turnover drop from 19% to under 9%, alongside notable improvements in their HCAHPS results.
Many of our partner hospitals now use our Healthcare Learning Platform not just for compliance, but as part of their HCAHPS strategy. They integrate courses into performance reviews, use reporting to identify gaps, and align educational modules with specific departmental goals.
What’s even more powerful than the data is what we hear directly from professionals in the field. Nurses frequently share that learning opportunities increase their confidence, reduce stress, and make them feel more supported by their organizations. Many have pointed to tuition support and career development programs as key reasons for staying with an employer, often placing these benefits above compensation alone.
Of course, while nurses are front and center in care delivery, they’re not the only ones influencing patient satisfaction. Social workers, case managers, rehab therapists, and care coordinators also play vital roles—especially when it comes to emotional support, clarity of instructions, and transitions between care settings. Our platform supports all these disciplines, making it easier for entire care teams to align around best practices.
From a business perspective, the value of continuing education becomes even clearer. Reducing turnover cuts down on recruitment and onboarding expenses. Higher HCAHPS scores lead to improved CMS reimbursements and stronger reputations in the community. A well-trained, engaged workforce also delivers safer, more reliable care. We’ve seen CareerSmart partners use our ROI tools to calculate extraordinary returns simply from better retention and marginal increases in patient satisfaction.
Ultimately, we need to stop thinking of education as a cost center. It’s a strategic investment that pays dividends in performance, satisfaction, and sustainability. And it’s not just about offering a handful of courses each year. It’s about creating a learning culture where staff feel seen, supported, and prepared to grow.
That’s why, at CareerSmart Learning, our mission goes beyond content delivery. We work with healthcare leaders to build customized learning strategies, align CE goals with HR and clinical priorities, and offer the tools to measure real impact.
As we all continue navigating workforce challenges and rising expectations in healthcare, the organizations that lean into education will be the ones who attract and keep great people—and deliver care that patients remember for the right reasons.
Education is no longer a “nice-to-have.” It’s a differentiator. It’s a message to staff that their growth matters, and to patients that quality is the standard.
If your organization is ready to explore how continuing education can be a difference-maker, I’d be happy to talk through it. At CareerSmart Learning, we’re here to help healthcare teams do what they do best—only better, stronger, and more confidently than ever.
Clinton Nemmer is a senior leader at CareerSmart Learning, where he helps healthcare organizations design education programs that drive retention, improve patient experience, and build resilient care teams.
References
- 2024 National Healthcare Retention & RN Staffing Report.
- ShiftMed. (2024). Nurse Retention Drivers Report.
- Becker’s Hospital Review. (Year). Impact of Tuition Reimbursement on Nurse Retention.
- Smith, J., et al. (2023). Impact of Continuing Education on Nurse Communication and Discharge Processes: An Integrative Review. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 38(1), 12-21. [DOI or link if available]
