Capstone Project: Problem Description
In the contemporary medical world, nursing shortageis not a new phenomenon. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, (2014) is of the opinion thatthe proportion of nurses in the USA will significantly decrease between 2009 and 2030. Such is the case given the increased number of staff turnover, and the aging nursing staff. A situation of this kind is undesirable due to the associated poor outcomes as well as the inability to offer quality care linked to the increased workload. That said, strategies to increase nursing retention are of the essence if the situation is to change for the better. A case in point of strategies widely utilized is the adoption of good leadership styles such as transformational leadership that inspires the nurses’ intent of remaining at the same work place (Lenhart, 2017). In essence, this paper seeks to build a case on the efficacy of transformational leadership in improving the nursing retention. Of particular interest in the analysis are various aspects that are worth noting. They include the problem background, stakeholders, PICOT question, and project’s purpose, objectives as well as significance.
Problem background
Of utmost significance in the study setting is the reduced number of nursing staffs over the past few years, which has resulted in remaining nurses working overtime to offset the challenge of shortage. Globally, the situation is the same and thus nursing leaders have continuously sought to improve nurse retention by developing strategies for retaining the few available nurses. In line with this aspiration of leaders, trial of innovative leadership styles such as transformative leadership is vital given their indisputable success record noted in other healthcare organizations (Malloch, 2014).
Stakeholders and Change agents
Central to the implementation of the project are several stakeholders and change champions. The key stakeholders are nurses workingin high acuity in-patient settings (both advanced practice nurses and staff nurses), and nurse leaders. On the other hand, the change champions include nurses working in high acuity in-patient settings (both advanced practice and staff nurses) and nurse leaders. Concisely, the success of this project will rely on the involvement of these stakeholders and thuslobbying for their support is vital.
PICOT Question
The PICOT question that will optimize the achievement of the EBP’s purpose and specific objectives is:
“In nurses working in an inpatient setting with high acuity, does use of transformational compared to transactional leadership style affect nursing retention over one year?”
Purpose
Fundamental to this quality improvement project is theestablishment of the efficacy of transformational leadership in improving nursing retention in in-patient settings with high acuity. Primarily, this is the sole and mainproject purpose as well as the overall goal.
ProjectObjectives
Of the essence to the realization of theoverallEBP’s goal are two specific objectives, namely:
- To establish the associationbetweentransformational leadership and nursing retention
- To investigate the commonly adopted behaviors in transformational leaders
Relevance of the Project to Nurses
The implementation of this EBP project (transformational leadership) yields several benefits to nurses. Such is the case given that institutionalization of transformational leadership will result in nurses that have increased job satisfaction given the good relations they share with transformational leaders. Consequently, the number of staff turnover will start reducing because the nurses have contentment with their jobs.Notwithstanding, the EBP will optimize the provision of quality healthcare and achievement of positive patient outcomes such as patient safetyas well ashigh staff satisfaction levels (Moneke, & Umeh, 2013). Clearly, with such benefits, significantimprovementof nursing practice is inevitable with this project implementation.
Initial Reference List
| Full APA Citation for Initial Reference List |
| Chan, Z.C.Y., Tam, W., Lung, M., Wong, W., & Chau, C. (2013). A systematic literature review of nurse shortage and the intention to leave. Journal of Nursing Management, 21, 605 – 613. |
| Lartey, S., Cummings, G., Profetto-McGrath, J. (2013). Interventions that promote retention of experienced registered nurses in health care settings: A systematic review. Journal of Nursing Management, 22(8), 1027 – 1041. |
| Moneke, N., & Umeh, O. (2013). How leadership behaviors impact critical care nurse job satisfaction. Nursing Management, 44(1), 53 – 55. |
| Nei, D., Anderson, L.S., & Litwiller, B. (2014). Promoting retention of nurses: A meta-analytic examination of causes of nurse turnover. Health Care Management Review. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1097/HMR.0000000000000025 |
| Van den Heede, K., Florquin, M., Bruyneel, L., Aiken, L., Diya, L., Lesaffre, E, & Sermeus, W. (2013). Effective strategies for nurse retention in acute hospitals: A mixed method study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 50(2), 185 – 194. |
Conclusion
In closure, this paper aimed at justifying the efficacy of transformational leadership in improving the nursing retention in in-patient settings of high acuity. Of significance to the validation, the discussion sought on establishing the problem background, stakeholders, PICOT question, and project’s purpose, objectives as well as relevance. Indeed, from the analysis, it is beyond doubt that transformational leadership is worth trying. That is for sure given the existent evidence linking it to nursing retention. As such, going forward, there is need for making such a consideration if realization of these benefits is a priority.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2014). American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Nursing Shortage. Aacn.nche.edu. Retrieved 21February 2018, from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage
Lenhart, N. K. (2017). Nursing Leadership Influence on Evidence-Based Practice Culture and Integration (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).
Malloch, K. (2014). Beyond transformational leadership to greater engagement: Inspiring innovation in complex organizations. Nurse Leader, April 2014, 60 – 63.
Moneke, N., & Umeh, O. (2013). How leadership behaviors impact critical care nurse job satisfaction. Nursing Management, 44(1), 53 – 55.
