Improve nursing retention by hiring and developing better managers

Most organizations declare that reducing nursing turnover is a key strategic imperative, but few have a formal, holistic, and effective retention strategy.  Perhaps that’s because it’s a complex problem and the challenges are specific to the organization and the market. 

You can implement any of a long list of potential solutions.  Most, however, require talented, effective, and motivated nurse managers to implement them.  The most logical place to start improving retention, then, is by hiring and developing more effective managers. 

This paper briefly outlines the scope and impact of the nursing turnover problem, its causes, and potential solutions.  More importantly, it proposes a more deliberate approach to building a team of effective nurse managers, because without them, many of your retention efforts will be an exercise in futility.