Date of Award
Fall 12-10-2022
Degree Type
Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
School of Nursing
First Advisor
Dr. Jennifer Stewart-Glenn
Abstract
Rural area nurse retention has been referred to as a crisis for decades; this crisis has been exacerbated by several factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, resources being directed towards larger hospitals, the inability to recruit and retain healthcare providers to rural areas, and the aging workforce (Rossetter, 2020). The researcher in this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project investigated the elements that encourage rural nurse retention and sought to develop retention strategies that are rooted in the literature and anchored in the concerns of rural nurses. Retention strategy recommendations were drawn from results from the Revised Casey Fink Nurse Retention Survey, the application of findings from the literature review, and feedback from nursing administrators at the project site. The retention strategy recommendations provide tangible, adaptable, and implementable strategies for nurse administration focused specifically on nurses practicing in rural areas. The Job Embeddedness Theory guided the development of these strategies through the lens of community and organizational connectivity the literature denotes as important influencers on retention decisions for rural nurses. In July 2022, the results were analyzed, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, and an overview of the collated results were presented to nursing administration and faculty in August 2022. The results from this project revealed significant agreement between the literature and the project site on the factors that positively or negatively impact rural nurse retention. Significantly, the community and organizational fit of the project site along with strong relationships with nurse colleagues positively impacted retention decisions. The noted areas for improvement focused on the need for enhanced salary, benefits, and improved nurse to patient ratios.
Recommended Citation
Lesser, Susan, "Creating Rural Nurse Retention Strategies for Nursing Administrators" (2022). Doctoral Projects. 8.
https://digitalcommons.lmunet.edu/dnpprojects/8
