Leadership Strategies to Improve Nurse Retention

Leadership Strategies to Improve Nurse Retention by F. Jordan Colwell MS, Walden University, 2012 BS, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2009 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University April 2019 Abstract The nursing shortage and high turnover rates are a problem in the United States. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies that hospital senior nurse managers in the Rocky Mountain states use to improve nurse retention. Participants were 6 hospital senior nurse managers including 3 chief nursing officers, 1 assistant chief nursing officer, and 2 directors who had demonstrated effective leadershipThe nursing shortage and high turnover rates are a problem in the United States. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies that hospital senior nurse managers in the Rocky Mountain states use to improve nurse retention. Participants were 6 hospital senior nurse managers including 3 chief nursing officers, 1 assistant chief nursing officer, and 2 directors who had demonstrated effective leadership strategies in retention of nurses. The leadership-motivated excellence theory was the conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews with open-ended interview questions were used to collect data; organization websites and documents were used to help corroborate evidence for triangulation. Data were analyzed using Yin’s data analysis method. The major themes were leadership and retention strategies. The leadership strategies were senior nurse managers guiding, coaching, and mentoring registered nurses, and the retention strategies were tools used to motivate and retain registered nurses. The results may bring about positive social change by providing hospitals with leadership strategies to retain nurses. Improved retention rates of registered nurses may enhance the competitive advantage for hospitals by improving patient satisfaction scores and improving care. This improvement may result in increased hospital reimbursements and may influence organizational commitment to improving patient outcomes. Leadership Strategies to Improve Nurse Retention by F. Jordan Colwell MS, Walden University, 2012 BS, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2009 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University April 2019 Dedication I dedicate this study to my grandfather, Floyd E. Colwell, who instilled in me a love for education and learning. Although he is no longer physically with us on this earth, I carry him with me every day. I also dedicate this study to my children, Ryker and Reid; you are the future. To my wife, Tiann, thank you for your support, patience, and unconditional love while I was working on my study. You now have your husband back on the weekends! To my parents, thank you for always supporting me. You have instilled in me that hard work and dedication will get you far in life, and I will be forever grateful. Acknowledgments I would like to say thank you to Drs. Scott Burrus and Peter Anthony for their guidance and support throughout this journey. Without you, I would have never been able to complete my study. I would also like to say thank you to my fellow classmates, friends, colleagues, and family who have supported and helped me.