Nursing leaders in hospitals around the country are on the front lines of an ongoing nursing shortage. They’re also dealing with retention issues of their own.

A new survey by staffing firm AMN Healthcare found that nearly a third of hospital nurse leaders plan to leave their jobs within a year. And some say they plan to leave the profession altogether.

When Mila Sprouse first transitioned into management, it was a lot to take on. 

“You have to learn the finances,” she said. “You have to learn aspects of patient experience, patient recovery.” 

Then there’s dealing with audits, regulations and retention. Sprouse is now chief nursing officer at Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center. When it comes to future leaders, she said the field has enough talent. But it lacks mentors.

“You have to invest time and effort and really be authentic that you care about these individuals to grow,” Sprouse said.

There also aren’t enough qualified nurse leaders out there, noted Iman Abuzeid, CEO of nursing hiring platform Incredible Health.

“The applicant pool is small, right?” she said.

Plus, these roles aren’t always appealing to ambitious nurses. “You’re being asked to take on more responsibility and more work,” Abuzeid said.

And that’s often without enough institutional support to be successful.