How to Retain School-Based Healthcare Staff

Rising student needs, staffing shortages, and increased caseloads have made retention a strategic priority, not just a workforce concern.

This article outlines six practical retention strategies school districts can use to strengthen healthcare teams, reduce turnover, and create environments where clinicians can do their best work, today and over the long term.

Six Practical Retention Strategies for School Healthcare Teams

Strategy Area	Retention Outcome
Promote Mental Health & Well-Being	Clinicians sustain workload demands without disengaging
Recognize Clinician Contributions	Staff feel valued and remain invested in district roles
Career Pathways & Continuing Education	Clinicians stay rather than leave for advancement elsewhere
Mentorship & Leadership Development	Early-career staff stabilize, and senior clinicians stay engaged
Workforce Partnerships	Reduced turnover caused by chronic understaffing

 

Promote Mental Health and Well-Being 

School-based clinicians regularly encounter emotionally complex situations, making mental health support paramount for retention. 

Districts can strengthen retention by focusing on three core areas:

• Encouraging open dialogue: Invite clinicians to voice concerns during team meetings, supervision sessions, or check-ins. Normalize discussing workload stress, emotional fatigue, and resource needs without fear of judgment.
• Offering access to wellness resources: Provide clear access to wellness resources, including EAP programs, counseling services, or district-approved wellness initiatives, so clinicians can use support without navigating barriers.
• Ensuring manageable caseload: Administrators should review caseload distribution frequently, especially during peak seasons or after major student referrals. Adjusting allocations or providing temporary support prevents fatigue.

Strong support structures also help districts maintain continuity, especially when partnering with a school-based healthcare staffing agency, GHR Education, for surge coverage.

Recognize and Celebrate Clinician Contributions

Recognition is a powerful driver of retention in school-based healthcare roles. When clinicians feel seen and appreciated, engagement and long-term commitment increase. Districts can reinforce that value through:

• Highlight achievements: Share accomplishments in staff meetings, internal newsletters, or district communications. Recognizing certifications earned, new programs, or successful interventions reinforces professional pride.
• Acknowledge milestones and awareness events: Celebrate National School Nurse Day, OT Month, SLP Month, and similar observances to recognize the specialized roles clinicians play across campuses.
• Provide consistent, individualized feedback: Regular check-ins from principals, special education leaders, or clinical supervisors help clinicians feel supported beyond annual evaluations.
• Connect recognition to student impact: Highlight improvements in attendance, behavior, or student well-being to reinforce the value of clinicians’ daily work.

Employees who receive strong recognition are much more likely to stay. Research from Gallup and Workhuman followed more than 3,400 workers over two years and found that employees who received high-quality recognition were 45% less likely to leave their jobs than those who did not.

 

Provide Career Pathways and Continuing Education

Clinicians are more likely to stay in school-based roles when they can see a clear path for growth. Districts that invest in professional development give clinicians reasons to build long-term careers within the school system. That support can include:

• Access to role-relevant continuing education: Provide funding, protected time, or streamlined approval for CE courses that strengthen day-to-day school-based practice, such as pediatric care, special education collaboration, or compliance requirements.
• Training for expanded or specialized responsibilities: Support training aligned with district service needs, such as assistive technology, communication supports, or behavioral health frameworks.
• Clear certification and advancement pathways: Encourage and reimburse certifications tied to school settings, such as school nursing credentials or behavioral health micro-credentials, and connect them to defined role progression or leadership opportunities.

When learning opportunities are clearly linked to advancement, clinicians are more likely to stay engaged and invested long term.

Offer Mentorship and Leadership Development

When structured intentionally, mentorship and leadership initiatives support both retention and workforce continuity. 

Effective approaches include:

• Guided support for early-career clinicians: Pair new hires with experienced mentors who can assist with onboarding, documentation questions, clinical decision-making, and navigating school culture.
• Leadership roles for experienced staff: Offer opportunities to mentor peers, lead specialty initiatives, or contribute to program development, recognizing expertise without requiring a move out of clinical practice.

Healthcare mentorship programs have been linked to measurable retention gains. For example, hospital mentorship initiatives have shown retention increases around 12% and reduced turnover rates among nurses in structured programs.

 

In many districts, staffing partners such as GHR Education reinforce mentorship by providing onboarding support and early check-ins that help clinicians integrate into school teams and connect with appropriate supervisors and peer mentors.

Strengthening Workforce Partnerships

Districts can reduce administrative burden and focus on supporting clinicians already in place through offloading recruitment, coverage coordination, and credential management. 

A strong workforce partner helps districts:

• Protect clinicians from coverage-related strain: Rapid access to qualified clinicians during absences, seasonal surges, or vacancies prevents existing staff from carrying unsustainable caseloads or extra shifts.
• Support more sustainable coverage planning: Visibility into placement patterns, fill gaps, and recurring vacancies helps districts anticipate staffing needs and reduce reactive coverage decisions that strain existing teams.
• Ensure continuity of care with school-ready professionals: Reliable access to vetted clinicians across nursing, therapy, mental health, and allied roles reduces disruption and protects team morale.

Districts increasingly rely on education staffing MSP models that centralize hiring, streamline processes, and create long-term workforce stability. Learn more about GHR school-based specialties that support district needs year-round.

Partnering with GHR Education for Long-Term Retention

GHR Education provides districts with comprehensive workforce planning and retention-focused staffing models. District partners benefit from:

• Access to highly qualified clinicians across disciplines
• Reliable coverage for short-term and long-term needs
• Dedicated support that reduces administrative burden
• Strategic solutions that strengthen clinician engagement and well-being

Districts can request support at any time through a staffing support request or explore how partnering with GHR improves retention outcomes. 

Clinicians seeking stable, supportive placements can also browse school-based healthcare jobs.

Building a Sustainable School Healthcare Workforce

GHR Education partners with schools to strengthen these foundations through workforce planning, flexible scheduling models, and retention-focused solutions.

A sustainable school healthcare workforce begins with intentional strategy and the right partner standing beside you.

If your district is ready to enhance employee retention and establish a more stable clinical team, connect with GHR Education to explore customized support options that promote student and clinician well-being and success.