Leadership: a key strategy in staff nurse retention

Nursing administrators are challenged to recruit and retain staff nurses in the midst of increasing job vacancies and staff nurse turnover rates averaging 21%. The prevailing issues related to staff nurse recruitment and retention in the current healthcare environment are briefly reviewed as introductory content. The article outlines the case from nursing administration literature that effective leadership styles of nurse managers and nurse administrators enhance staff nurse retention. As nurse administrators continue to struggle with staff nurse recruitment and retention, evidenced-based strategies are discussed that address leader preparation and organizational leadership structure including advanced education, leadership training, and shared leadership models.