The Nursing Directory
Weekly Digest · June 29–July 4, 2026

Happy 4th of July weekend. This week: two state salary hubs (Idaho, West Virginia), a DOJ healthcare fraud takedown targeting nurses, a 17,000-vacancy Virginia shortage brief, AI virtual nursing going system-wide at Saint Peter's, and new NSI data showing 17.6% RN turnover is costing hospitals $60K per nurse who walks out the door. Here's everything that mattered.

TOP GUIDES THIS WEEK
Salary Guide · Idaho
Nurse Salary in Idaho 2026: RN, NP, CRNA & Travel Nurse Pay Guide
$92,710/yr RN (8.6% below national). Full NP practice authority since 2017. CRNA $225,651. Travel RN $95,154. St. Luke's dominates the Treasure Valley. Flat 5.3% income tax.
Salary Guide · West Virginia
Nurse Salary in West Virginia 2026: RN, NP, CRNA & Travel Nurse Pay Guide
$86,970/yr — 14.3% below national mean. 19.3% nursing vacancy rate; only 4,500 of 6,500 beds staffed. Travel RN $78,293 — lowest in nation. NP FPA bill failed 2026 session.
TOP NEWS THIS WEEK
RN Turnover Climbs to 17.6% — Each Nurse Who Leaves Costs $60,090
NSI 2026 National Report. Behavioral health worst at 22.5%. Bedside flight accelerating.
Virginia Faces 17,000 Unfilled RN Positions as Nursing Shortage Deepens
ECPI University brief + HRSA 2030 projections. Virginia among the hardest-hit states nationally.
Saint Peter's Healthcare Goes System-Wide with AI Virtual Nursing
hellocare.ai deployed across 100% of units. Ambient AI voice documentation. The model other systems are watching.
DOJ Charges Florida NP and Two Nurses in $118M Medicare Fraud — 455 Defendants Total
Largest-ever DOJ healthcare fraud takedown. $6.5B in alleged losses across all defendants. Wound care billing scheme.
STAT OF THE WEEK
$60,090
The average cost to replace one RN, according to the 2026 NSI National Health Care Retention Report. At 17.6% national turnover, a 300-bed hospital with 300 nurses loses roughly $3.2 million per year just to churn — before you count the mandatory overtime, agency fill, and the morale hit on the nurses who stay.
TOOLS & RESOURCES
RN Pay Calculator — compare salary by state & specialty → Salary vs. Cost of Living Calculator → Loan Forgiveness Checker — PSLF, Nurse Corps, NHSC → NLC Compact License Map — all 41 compact states →
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