THE RELATIONSHIP OF HEAD NURSES' LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS TO RETENTION OF THEIR SUBORDINATES IN THE PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL ORGANIZATION.
Contributors: University of Cincinnati.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 152
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Administration.; Health Sciences, Health Care Management.
Description: The nursing shortage is not a contrived dilemma. Fewer women are now selecting nursing as a career. The majority of hospitals in the United States report a doubling of their vacancy rates for registered nurses. In addition, nurses employed in the hospital are faced with complex patient care situations due to high acuity and advanced technology.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between head nurses' leadership effectiveness in the pediatric hospital organization with the retention of their staff nurses, given the current nursing shortage situation. Fiedler's Contingency Theory of Leadership Effectiveness was the theoretical framework applied to this analysis. After completion of a pilot study, the sample for this study consisted of 34 head nurses and 176 full-time registered nurses employed in pediatric hospitals in a tri-state area of the midwestern portion of the United States.

Within this study, each head nurse was asked to complete Fiedler's four Leader Match Scales, in addition to a demographic profile about the individual head nurse and the nursing unit which was managed. In addition, each head nurse distributed the Leader-Member Relations (LMR) Scale and demographic profile to six full-time registered nurses, three of whom were categorized as "stayers" and three as "joiners".

The data from this correlational design were analyzed with correlational coefficient statistics, using an alpha level of p $<$.05.

Although the majority of the head nurse sample were found to be effective leaders, using task motivational styles, no significant correlations were found associated with subordinate retention rates. The educational degree of the head nurses had no significant effect on retention, but more of the effective head nurses did have higher advanced nursing degrees. Group climate, as measured by the LMR, was significantly associated with the head nurses' ability to delegate tasks and to make decisions with confidence, for both the "joiner" and "stayer" groups.

It is recommended that a larger study be replicated with head nurses from multiple adult medical-surgical hospitals within a single metropolitan city, or with female managers in either the business or engineering professions. In addition, further study should include the relationship of group climate on retention.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-01, Section: B, page: 0160.

Thesis (ED.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI, 1990.

School code: 0045.