Nurses leave their positions for a variety of reasons, including to gain experience in other clinical service areas within the hospital or at another facility. Nursing vacancy occurs when a nurse leaves a position and the hospital has not yet hired another nurse for that position.    

About This Measure

This measure is a rate that is based on a one-day snapshot of vacancies on critical care units.   A lower number may indicate that a hospital provides a higher level of patient care.

For this measure, a lower number is better.