Clinical Ladders Impact on Nurse Retention and Evidence-Based Practice at the Bedside
Major
Nursing, BSN
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Nursing
Faculty Advisor
Brenda Drury
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-11-2026 11:15 AM
End Date
4-11-2026 12:30 PM
Abstract
Retention rates for nurses have been declining as hospital nurses leave the bedside for better opportunities and less stressful environments, driven, in part, by limited advancement in their current positions. The cost to train a new nurse ranges from $60,000 to $80,000 (Varghese & Shkrabak, 2025). When a hospital hires and makes an investment in a new nurse, if nurses choose to leave the hospital, the monetary and workforce loss is detrimental. Nurses are in careers that require lifelong learning. Therefore, nurses must continue to learn about new medications, techniques, and best practices. One way some hospitals acknowledge the effort nurses put into continuous learning is by giving them credit for learning outside work hours through programs called clinical ladders (CL). CL facilitates opportunities for continuous learning, professional growth, and career advancement. The opportunities are often offered through structured learning and experiential activities that support leadership, clinical skills, professional expertise, and engagement. CL often aligns with professional upward mobility within the organization, with associated title and/or compensation increases. Implementing CL may lead to a healthier work environment and reward excellence in professional nursing practice. Ultimately, CLs appear to retain experienced nurses at the bedside. We are conducting a literature review on CL and their effects in organizations. The importance of this review is to evaluate the efficacy of CL and career advancement through structured learning and experiential activities, improving retention at the bedside. Using the PRISMA guidelines for this literature search, we examine research findings on CL and their potential effects on bedside nurse retention, evidence-based practice at the bedside, and career advancement opportunities while remaining in bedside nursing. Our review is currently in process.
Clinical Ladders Impact on Nurse Retention and Evidence-Based Practice at the Bedside
CNS Atrium
Retention rates for nurses have been declining as hospital nurses leave the bedside for better opportunities and less stressful environments, driven, in part, by limited advancement in their current positions. The cost to train a new nurse ranges from $60,000 to $80,000 (Varghese & Shkrabak, 2025). When a hospital hires and makes an investment in a new nurse, if nurses choose to leave the hospital, the monetary and workforce loss is detrimental. Nurses are in careers that require lifelong learning. Therefore, nurses must continue to learn about new medications, techniques, and best practices. One way some hospitals acknowledge the effort nurses put into continuous learning is by giving them credit for learning outside work hours through programs called clinical ladders (CL). CL facilitates opportunities for continuous learning, professional growth, and career advancement. The opportunities are often offered through structured learning and experiential activities that support leadership, clinical skills, professional expertise, and engagement. CL often aligns with professional upward mobility within the organization, with associated title and/or compensation increases. Implementing CL may lead to a healthier work environment and reward excellence in professional nursing practice. Ultimately, CLs appear to retain experienced nurses at the bedside. We are conducting a literature review on CL and their effects in organizations. The importance of this review is to evaluate the efficacy of CL and career advancement through structured learning and experiential activities, improving retention at the bedside. Using the PRISMA guidelines for this literature search, we examine research findings on CL and their potential effects on bedside nurse retention, evidence-based practice at the bedside, and career advancement opportunities while remaining in bedside nursing. Our review is currently in process.