The Issue of Emergency Nurse Retention: : In Relation to Authentic Leadership

BackgroundRetention of registered nurses in emergency departments (EDs) is as a critical issue, further exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Leaders influence work life and working environment, but it is unclear what strategies leaders use to address nurse staffing issues in the ED. The purpose of this scoping review is to understand if leadership strategies used in EDs have links to nursing retention and turnover. MethodologyThis scoping review was completed with a comprehensive search within Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMCARE, EMBASE. Two authors developed inclusion and exclusion criteria, did title and abstract screening, and full text screening using review software. Data extracted from included studies was analyzed to determine leadership strategies and relationships to intent to stay, retention, intent to leave, or turnover. ResultsOf the 553 records identified, nine met inclusion criteria. Leadership strategies identified in the studies included support from supervisor, engagement by the leader, organizational culture assessment, and a cultural change toolkit. No leadership strategy influenced nurse intention to stay, retention, intention to leave or turnover. ConclusionEmergency nurse retention and the prevention of turnover is a multidimensional issue stemming from various factors that may not be controllable due to the nature of the setting. However, leaders can implement strategies and provide support to staff to enhance quality of work life and the work environment. More information is needed to understand how leaders can influence the current and future supply of emergency nurses to produce quality patient care outcomes.