Chief Nursing Officer Sustainment: A Phenomenological Inquiry

The study explored factors leading to chief nursing officer (CNO) sustainment in the professional practice of nurse executive leadership.

CNOs are expected to lead adaptations in care delivery in this current era of healthcare reform, requiring a multitude of new leadership skills. Exploration is needed to understand barriers to longevity, which prevent consistency of leadership and execution of vision.

Twenty CNOs were interviewed to determine the lived experience related to the phenomena of role sustainment. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used.

Six themes emerged describing sustainment. These are as follows: loving the profession, having a broader impact, reflecting on one's own work, learning to manage conflict, maintaining work/life balance, and working with supportive leaders.

The desire and passion for nurse executive leadership must be enhanced through education and competencies that emerged in this study and include strategic processing, mindful reflection, and resiliency training.