[Time of permanence of nurses at a school-hospital and expenses related to admission, resignation and hiring of a new professional].

This descriptive study aimed to find out how long nurses stay at a hospital institution and the relationship with expenses in terms of hours/salary regarding admission, resignation and hiring of a new nurse. We analyzed the resignation records of 109 nurses (2000-2002) from a hospital in the eastern region of São Paulo, provided by the Human Resource Department in 2003, as well as the amounts spent on hours/salary of the personnel involved in the selection process, admission, training and resignation. The study showed that the nurses stayed for a short period (average of 20 months and median 18). 30.53% of the nurses left the hospital in less than one year. 881.43 R dollars was spent on hours/salary for admission and resignation. This short time of permanence doubled the cost for hiring a new professional.