Effective Strategies Healthcare Leaders Use to Retain Nursing Staff

Nursing turnover in healthcare negatively impacts patient care and organizational performance. Healthcare leaders are concerned with retaining nursing staff to maintain a competitive advantage and continue providing high-quality patient care. Grounded in the job embeddedness theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to identify and explore effective strategies that seven healthcare leaders in southern Florida used to retain nursing staff. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of documents. Using Yin’s five-step data and thematic analysis process, four themes were identified: (a) foster a positive work environment, (b) employ effective and open communication, (c) demonstrate leadership support, and (d) maintain competitive pay. A key recommendation is for healthcare and nursing leaders to foster professional relationships with nursing staff to improve collaboration and understand how essential it is to improve retention and ensure the organization’s overall success. The implications for positive social change include the potential for healthcare leaders to improve nursing workforce sustainability, which can lead to high-quality patient care and a positive work environment in which nurses can thrive.