Nurse Manager Succession Planning: Building a Leadership Pipeline for the Future

Problem. This academic medical center was increasing bed-capacity and needed to hire 12 additional nurse managers (NM) to meet these new requirements. Promoting assistant nurse managers (ANM) to the NM role saves time and money, supports leadership and cultural continuity, and demonstrates a strong organizational commitment to internal human capital. Context. Formal nurse manager succession planning (NMSP) programs have been shown to increase nurse manager competency and retention rates, while also helping to identify and develop new generations of nurse leaders. To mitigate the recent loss of ANMs and strengthen the remaining leadership bench strength, the organization is developing, implementing, and evaluating a formal NMSP program. Interventions. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project included the development, implementation, and evaluation of a formal NMSP program for the nurse manager role, with the aim of decreasing turnover and filling NM positions with internal ANM candidates. Measures. Comprehensive NMSP project evaluation and outcome measures were improved ANM retention and internal promotions to the nurse manager role, as well as improved candidate perceptions of leadership and management skill competency post leadership development program using a valid and reliable tool. Results. Comprehensive NMSP program evaluation showed increased ANM retention and internal promotions to the nurse manager role, as well as improved candidate perceptions of leadership and management skill competency post leadership development program. Conclusion. The increased retention and internal promotion outcomes of this DNP-led evidence-based project suggest that formal and deliberate succession planning, along with individualized developmental plans has positive implications for preparing future NMs