Logo image
Back
The impact of scheduling on nurses' intent to stay
Dissertation   Open access

The impact of scheduling on nurses' intent to stay

Janine Richard
Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Drexel University
23 Apr 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011358
pdf
Richard_Janine_2026627.44 kBDownloadView
PDF Open Access Open Access (License Unspecified)

Abstract

Nurse scheduling Nurse retention
Nursing workforce shortages and high turnover continue to challenge healthcare organizations, with scheduling practices identified as a major contributor to dissatisfaction, burnout, and intent to leave. Survey and focus group data from an inpatient maternity unit revealed significant concerns related to schedule manageability and the burden of mandatory on call hours, prompting the development of a targeted quality improvement project. Guided by a PICO question focused on innovative scheduling strategies and nurse retention, a comprehensive literature review identified four key factors influencing nurses' intent to stay: schedule flexibility, perceived control, overtime demands, and predictability. Using Kotter's (2012) change model and Lean methodology, a workgroup of maternity nurses and leaders evaluated the existing scheduling workflow, mapped sources of waste, and collaboratively designed improvements. Over eight weeks, the group created and piloted three interventions: reducing required on call slots for nurses, aligning on call needs with actual staffing requirements to decrease overall burden, and standardizing charge nurse decision making through an evidence based utilization algorithm. These changes were successfully implemented with full staff compliance and generated immediate improvements in autonomy, predictability, and fairness, factors strongly linked to retention. The project demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of a nurse driven, evidence guided scheduling workgroup in addressing local staffing concerns. Sustaining this progress will require ongoing evaluation of scheduling data, continued stakeholder engagement, and periodic refinement to ensure alignment with patient care needs. This initiative highlights how collaborative scheduling redesign can strengthen nurse well being and support a healthy, sustainable workforce.

Metrics

1 Record Views

Details

Logo image