Clinical nurse manager succession program: Evolving the talent from within

Background/Introduction: There is a need to stabilize nurse leader attrition. 28% of nurse managers intend to leave within 2 years and 72% in 5 years (Martin and O’Shea, 2021). Survey results showed 50% of nurse leaders are unaware of a Clinical Nurse Manager Succession program (CNMSP), and 60% of current nurse leaders has not had a direct conversation regarding succession planning and leadership pathways. Purpose: The CNMSP was developed to evolve a ready stream of qualified, competent, and willing nurse candidate pool to succeed managers departing from current roles. Method: A 90-day self-paced development program was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of a CNMSP to participants perceive readiness to transition to a nurse manager role and confidence in the organization’s expected leadership behaviors. A validated nurse manager readiness survey and leadership behavior self- assessment were administered every 30 days during the CNMSP program. Retention rates are evaluated after one year of program completion. Results: 9 participants successfully completed the program. Survey results demonstrated CNMSP increased participants perceived readiness to transition to a clinical nurse manager role from 2.44 in Day 1 to 3.93 in Day 90 based on a Likert scale. Increased confidence in areas of leadership behaviors is evident in the self-assessment results. One participant assumed an interim role, and another transitioned to a leadership position towards the end of the program. Discussion: The CNMSP demonstrated positive results in perceived readiness to transition to a manager role and confidence in leadership behaviors. Survey results showed 100% of participants agreed the CNMSP is effective and recommends being implemented across the organization. Implications for Practice: There is a need to address nurse manager turn-over. CNMSP was developed to train and evolve aspirants who can transition to manager roles. Succession programs benefits include decrease onboarding costs, improved outcomes and increase staff morale