| One in five nurses plan to leave the profession within five years due to unsatisfactory working conditions (Pearson, 2003). This nursing crisis (Cox, 2003) requires innovative solutions to curb a potential decline in patient care. One innovative solution may be steward leadership (Fairholm, 1996). This qualitative, phenomenological study utilizing an appreciative inquiry interview technique explored and identified key themes emergent in the lived experiences and perceptions of nurses, nursing leaders, and hospital leaders, about steward leadership as a strategy to alleviate or reduce factors contributing to the nursing shortage in southwestern Pennsylvania. Five themes emerged that may provide leaders with nursing recruitment and retention data: lack of respect, inadequate compensation, poor communication, social conditions, and economic factors. |
