Strategies for Reducing Nurses\u27 Turnover in Specialty Care Clinics

The nursing shortage and high turnover rates are a problem in Canada and the world over. The purpose of this single case study was to explore leadership strategies that nurse leaders in specialty care clinics in Canada use to reduce nurse turnover. The participants were 7 nurse leaders from a single organization with specialty care clinics across Canada who all had above average nurse retention rates when compared to the case organization\u27s average nurse retention rate. The authentic leadership theory was the conceptual framework. Data sources for this study were company documents, participants\u27 semistructured interview responses, member checking of the interviews, and reflexive journal notes. Methodological triangulation was used to enhance validity. Data were analyzed using Yin\u27s 5-step approach to qualitative data analysis. Data analysis yielded 4 categories of strategy themes for reducing nurse turnover: moral perspective, self-awareness, relational transparency, and balanced processing. The results of this study have the potential for positive social change in specialty care by providing senior leadership and nurse leaders of specialty care clinics with strategies that can contribute to nurse-retention initiatives. The availability of more nurses might improve the outcomes of patients who depend on these clinics for their regular infusion of specialty medicines to treat their critical illnesses, such as cancer or rare genetic diseases, where delay in treatment due to the unavailability of nurses can result in adverse consequences for patient care