With turnover up 25% this year compared with last year, many nursing home providers are using sign-on bonuses to attract and retain workers, according to survey results shared as part of the 45th annual Nursing Home Salary & Benefits Report released Thursday by Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service.
“More than 50% of participants pay a sign-on bonus to attract new employees, along with the significant pay increases we’re seeing,” HCS Director of Reports Rosanne Zabka told the McKnight’s Business Daily.
Average sign-on bonuses this year were $4,566 for registered nurses, $3,494 for licensed practical nurses and $2,146 for certified nursing assistants, according to the report. The survey included a question about sign-on bonuses this year to reflect changes made in recruitment since COVID-19 arrived in long-term care in early 2020.
Regarding pay nursing home employee wage increases, direct care workers across the country got the bulk of them last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, “which helped slow the dramatic turnover rates of the direct care workers,” Zabka previously told McKnight’s.
The national average hourly rate for CNAs rose by 11.15%, from $15.23 per hour in 2021 to $16.87 in 2022. RNs, meanwhile, were right behind CNAs, with an average hourly rate that increased 11.1% to $34.58. LPNs saw an average increase of 9.4%, with hourly wages increasing to $26.46.
The annual reference book is created annually in cooperation with the American Health Care Association and endorsed by LeadingAge. The full report includes data from 1,283 nursing homes covering more than 119,000 employees. It is available for purchase on the HCS website; AHCA and LeadingAge members receive a discount.
