The Pulse of the Problem: Rising Turnover in Healthcare

The healthcare industry is experiencing workforce pressure like never before. In 2025, turnover continues to surge, particularly among registered nurses and healthcare executives.

• According to the 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report, the average registered nurse (RN) turnover rate is now 16.4%, with first-year RNs reaching 22.3%, highlighting major challenges in retention.
• The cost of losing a single nurse is now estimated at $61,110, with hospitals facing average losses of $4.75 million per year due to RN turnover.
• Leadership is also in flux. Nearly 46% of healthcare executives say they plan to leave their organization within the next 12 months.

This churn is more than a financial burden—it poses a critical compliance risk in a tightly regulated industry. Each new hire requires Form I-9 completion, often within days, and errors can result in severe penalties, high-risk audits, and even operational delays.

Behind the Bedside: What’s Driving Healthcare Turnover?

Several factors continue to impact healthcare retention in 2025:

• Burnout and Emotional Fatigue: Care providers are still facing post-pandemic exhaustion, high patient loads, and emotional toll, leading to increased resignation rates.
  
• Competitive Job Market: With demand for nurses, techs, and executives at an all-time high, skilled professionals are moving frequently for better opportunities.
  
• Retirement Surge: A significant portion of the workforce is aging out, and many are leaving faster than healthcare systems can replace them.
  
• Onboarding Bottlenecks: Fast-paced hiring often leads to incomplete or inaccurate I-9 forms, which can result in compliance violations and delayed starts.



To respond to these workforce challenges, healthcare HR teams must prioritize efficiency and legal precision—starting with I-9 compliance.

Compliance Care Plan: I-9 Protocols for a Healthier Hiring Process

To treat the root causes of compliance risk in high-turnover environments, healthcare HR teams need a proactive I-9 care plan—one that prevents costly errors before they spread. These five protocols form the foundation of a strong I-9 compliance strategy:

Protocol 1: Timely Intake

Ensure Section 1 of Form I-9 is completed by the employee no later than their first day of work, and that Section 2 is finalized by the employer within three business days. In clinical settings where timing is critical, automated alerts can help prevent compliance lapses.

Protocol 2: Routine Staff Training

Keep your HR and onboarding teams sharp with regular compliance checkups. Frequent turnover in support staff means ongoing I-9 training is essential to ensure consistency across departments, facilities, and shifts.

Protocol 3: Preventive Audits

Conduct internal I-9 audits to catch documentation errors, missing forms, or expired work authorizations before they escalate into formal investigations and fines. Think of it as a compliance diagnostic exam—early detection reduces long-term risk.

Protocol 4: E-Verify Support Therapy

While not mandated in every state, enrolling in E-Verify adds a second layer of defense. It confirms work authorization electronically, offering faster validation for large healthcare systems and mobile workforces, reducing the risk of employing unauthorized workers.

Protocol 5: Digital Documentation Management

Ditch the paper charts. Digital I-9 platforms reduce human error, centralize secure document storage, and allow HR teams to manage large volumes of new hires more efficiently—especially across multi-site operations or urgent staffing needs.

Prescribing a Better Solution: Clear I-9 for Healthcare

Managing compliance in the middle of a staffing crisis isn’t easy, but Clear I-9 makes it easier. Our platform is built to help healthcare providers handle high-volume, fast-paced onboarding while staying audit-ready.



Key Remedies of Clear I-9:

• Workflow Stabilizer: Automates the I-9 process to reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and improve hiring response time.
  
• Accuracy Booster: Validates information in real time to prevent costly mistakes before they impact compliance.
  
• Remote Readiness Treatment: Offers Live I-9 Video Verifications—ideal for mobile clinicians, remote staff, or multi-site healthcare systems.
  
• Secure Retention Therapy: Keeps all I-9s safely stored in one centralized digital system, ensuring easy access for audits or internal reviews.
  
• Regulatory Immunization: Delivers automatic updates and alerts for changes in I-9 laws, helping your organization stay protected and compliant.

Keep Your Compliance in Good Health—So Patients Stay the Priority

In healthcare, every minute counts—especially when it comes to staffing and compliance. And when your team is stretched thin, Clear I-9 delivers the compliance care your organization needs, verifying every hire quickly, securely, and accurately.

Because when onboarding runs smoothly, your clinicians can focus on what matters most: delivering life-saving care, not managing forms.

Protect your team and your patients—prescribe Clear I-9 for compliant hiring.

Schedule your Clear I-9 demo today and keep your compliance in stable condition.