CNO says “stay interviews” and new leadership academy help to retain nurses

AONL member Christine Young, DNP, RN, fostered nurse engagement and reduced turnover at Akron Children’s through conducting stay interviews to assess their satisfaction levels and address concerns. Young, who serves as chief of hospital-based services and CNO at the Ohio-based hospital, says leaders also conduct listening sessions with groups of frontline nurses to cultivate trust and explain new protocols and practices to protect patient safety and quality of care. Hospital leaders also implemented a four-year leadership academy to enable nurses to achieve their master’s degree in partnership with Kent State University. The hospital offers an internal curriculum to teach nurses the skills required to advance into a leadership position before they start their master’s degree. (HealthLeaders Media article, 8/10/26)