| Course | DNP 805 Organizational and Systems Leadership |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 8 |
| Paper type | System leadership plan |
| Length | About 1,063 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | DNP |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 805 Module 8
Keeping New Nurses Past the First Year: A System Leadership Plan to Cut First-Year Turnover From 24% to 15%
Student Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Aspen University
DNP 805: Organizational and Systems Leadership
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Keeping New Nurses Past the First Year: A System Leadership Plan to Cut First-Year Turnover From 24% to 15%
This course has examined leadership competencies, readiness, reliability, care models, quality initiatives, safety analysis and spread. This final paper brings them together in a leadership plan for one system outcome: first-year turnover among newly licensed registered nurses in a composite five-hospital system. It states the problem and the target, sets out five strategies with accountable owners, lays out a two-year timeline, defines measures and reporting, and identifies the risks that could prevent success. The plan is written as the system chief nursing officer would present it to the system's executive team and board.
The Problem and the Target
Turnover among new nurses is a national problem. In a longitudinal study of newly licensed registered nurses, about 17.5% had changed employers by the end of their first year of practice (Kovner et al., 2014). In the composite system, first-year turnover among newly licensed nurses was 24% last year, ranging from 16% at the flagship hospital to 33% at the smallest community hospital. Each departure costs the system recruitment, orientation and temporary staffing, and experienced nurses spend their time orienting replacements rather than developing the nurses they have. Exit interviews cite overwhelming assignments, inconsistent preceptors, schedules that change without notice and managers who are rarely available.
The plan's target is to reduce first-year turnover among newly licensed nurses to 15% system-wide within two years, with no hospital above 20%. The target is ambitious but achievable given the variation within the system, which shows that some hospitals already do better.
Strategy 1: A System Nurse Residency Program
New graduates currently receive orientation that varies by hospital from six to twelve weeks, with no structured support afterward. The plan establishes a one-year system nurse residency program with a common curriculum, monthly cohort seminars across hospitals, and support for reflection and professional development. A review of published evaluations linked residency programs with higher retention and with greater satisfaction with orientation, although programs varied in content and length and more longitudinal data were needed (Van Camp & Chappy, 2017). Owner: system director of professional development. Start: first cohort in month four.
Strategies 2 to 5
Strategy 2 is preceptor development. Preceptors receive a two-day workshop, protected time to teach, a lighter patient load in the early weeks of orientation and recognition in the clinical ladder. A multisite study of new graduates in more than 100 hospitals found that structured transition programs built around a trained preceptor and lasting about a year were associated with fewer reported errors, less work stress and better retention (Spector et al., 2015). Owner: each hospital's chief nurse. Strategy 3 is predictable scheduling. New nurses receive schedules six weeks in advance and are not floated during their first six months. Owner: system director of workforce management. Strategy 4 is manager span of control. Units where a single nurse manager oversees more than 80 staff receive an assistant manager, so that new nurses have a leader who knows them. Owner: system chief nursing officer, with finance. Strategy 5 is stay interviews. Managers hold structured conversations with each new nurse at three, six and nine months to learn what makes them want to stay and what might push them out, and act on the answers. Owner: unit managers, supported by human resources.
The strategies reflect earlier analyses in this course: relational leadership, attention to readiness and workload, and measurement used first to learn. Each addresses a reason new nurses gave for leaving.
The strategies also reinforce one another. A residency gives new nurses peers and a place to raise problems, preceptors trained and given time make the first weeks on the unit safer, predictable schedules let new nurses plan their lives, managers with manageable spans can notice when someone is struggling, and stay interviews bring those struggles to light early enough to act. Implemented alone, any one of them would help; together they address the full experience of the first year.
Timeline
The plan runs over 24 months.
| Months | Milestones |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Governance and data definitions agreed; residency curriculum built; preceptor workshop designed; scheduling rules approved |
| 4-6 | First residency cohort; first preceptor workshops; stay interviews begin; assistant manager positions posted |
| 7-12 | Second and third cohorts; all preceptors trained; mid-year review of turnover and stay interview themes |
| 13-24 | Full program at all hospitals; adjustments from year one; two-year evaluation and report to the board |
Measures and Reporting
The primary measure is first-year turnover among newly licensed nurses, calculated consistently as the proportion of each hire cohort who leave within 12 months, since inconsistent definitions produce misleading rates (Kovner et al., 2014). Secondary measures include residency completion, preceptor training completion, the proportion of new nurses floated in their first six months, manager span of control, new nurse engagement scores and the cost of temporary staffing. The chief nursing officer reports quarterly to the executive team and twice a year to the board's quality committee, by hospital, so that variation remains visible.
Results are shared with nurses as well as executives. Each hospital posts its cohort retention on the units and discusses it at nursing councils, and residents see the themes from stay interviews and what leaders changed in response, which shows new nurses that their feedback matters.
Risks and Mitigation
Several risks could undermine the plan. Budget pressure could cut preceptor time or assistant manager positions; the plan counters this with a cost analysis showing that each prevented departure saves more than the cost of the supports. Staffing shortages could force floating of new nurses despite the rule; the plan requires executive approval for any exception. Managers may treat stay interviews as a form to complete; human resources will train managers and review themes quarterly. And a single system program may not fit the smallest hospital; that hospital's chief nurse can adapt the residency schedule while keeping its core elements.
Conclusion
First-year turnover of 24% is costly to the system and discouraging for the nurses who stay. A system leadership plan with a clear target, five strategies with accountable owners, a realistic timeline, consistent measures and named risks turns a persistent problem into a managed program. The plan draws on evidence for nurse residency programs and on the leadership principles developed through this course: relationships first, attention to readiness and workload, and data used to learn and to hold leaders accountable.
References
Kovner, C. T., Brewer, C. S., Fatehi, F., & Jun, J. (2014). What does nurse turnover rate mean and what is the rate? Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 15(3-4), 64-71. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154414547953
Spector, N., Blegen, M. A., Silvestre, J., Barnsteiner, J., Lynn, M. R., Ulrich, B., Fogg, L., & Alexander, M. (2015). Transition to practice study in hospital settings. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 5(4), 24-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(15)30031-4
Van Camp, J., & Chappy, S. (2017). The effectiveness of nurse residency programs on retention: A systematic review. AORN Journal, 106(2), 128-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2017.06.003
DNP 805 Module 8 instructions, in plain terms
The final DNP 805 prompt sits inside the Aspen classroom, which is why this example leans on the catalog wording about leadership strategies and competencies for system change. A closing paper in that frame often asks you to develop a leadership plan for one system-level outcome, drawing on the concepts from earlier modules. Check whether your prompt fixes the outcome, requires a budget or a stakeholder analysis, or wants a short reflection on your growth as a leader. Some instructors set a longer length for this final paper or ask for more sources than earlier modules did. Read the assignment details carefully and plan your sections to match every required element.
How this DNP 805 Module 8 example is built
The example is roughly 1,000 words in seven parts. It opens by sizing the problem and justifying the 15% target. The first strategy, a system nurse residency program, gets its own section because it carries the most evidence. The other four strategies are grouped under one heading, and every one names who leads it, when it begins and which exit-interview cause it answers. A timeline sets the order of work over 24 months. The measures section defines turnover the same way across hospitals and names the reporting rhythm. A section on risks lists what could go wrong, such as preceptor fatigue, and how the plan responds. A short conclusion ties the plan to the course's leadership principles.
Where the marks sit in the DNP 805 Module 8 rubric
In the rubric your instructor posts, content and application should carry the most points, and this paper collects them by giving each strategy an owner, a date and a reason. The margin notes point out how the target is justified by internal variation, which shows analytic thinking rather than wishful goal setting. Consistent measure definitions earn credit for rigor. The risks section shows foresight, which graders often reward under critical thinking. Because this is a final paper, links back to earlier course concepts add synthesis points. Organization, APA formatting and mechanics make up the rest, so check the title page, the headings and the reference list closely.
DNP 805 Module 8 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students tend to list strategies without owners or dates, which turns a leadership plan into a wish list. Assign every strategy to a role and a start month. Another common problem is a target with no justification; show why the number is reachable, using benchmarks or internal variation. Papers also define the outcome loosely, and turnover in particular can be counted several ways, so state your definition. Some students forget the final paper's role and ignore earlier modules; bring in at least one earlier concept. Last, do not skip risks. A plan that admits what could go wrong reads as more credible than one that promises everything will work. Pair each risk with a named response and the person who will watch for it.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More DNP 805 and DNP sample papers
- DNP 805 Module 1: Leadership Competencies for System Change
- DNP 805 Module 2: Assessing Readiness for Change
- DNP 805 Module 3: High Reliability and Just Culture
- DNP 805 Module 4: Relationship-Based Care Across a System
- DNP 805 Module 5: System Quality Initiative With a Driver Diagram
- DNP 805 Module 6: Safety Event Analysis
- DNP 805 Module 7: Spreading a Unit Practice Across a System
- DNP 850B Module 8: Final Proposal: Literature and Methods
- DNP 851B Module 7: Recommendations for Practice and Future Work
- DNP 899 Module 4: The Project as Scholarship
- DNP875 Module 8: Population Intervention Plan
DNP 805 Module 8 questions, answered
What does DNP 805 Module 8 usually ask for?
Aspen's DNP 805 description centers on leading change in large systems, so a final system-level leadership plan for one outcome, with owners, measures and a timeline, is a typical assignment. Check your classroom for the prompt.
What is a typical first-year turnover rate for new nurses?
A longitudinal study of newly licensed nurses found that about 17.5% left their first job within a year. Organizational rates vary widely, so define the measure consistently.
Why include risks in a leadership plan?
Because executives and boards need to know what could prevent success and how the leader will respond, which makes the plan more credible and easier to fund.
Where can I find a free DNP 805 Module 8 sample paper?
This page has the whole thing: a leadership plan for cutting first-year nurse turnover, set out in full with a margin note beside each part. Reading costs nothing. If you need the same work done around your own outcome and system, send the prompt with the request form near the top of this page.
What outcome should I choose for DNP 805 Module 8?
Choose one outcome that spans the whole system and can be measured the same way everywhere, such as nurse turnover, falls with injury or hospital-acquired pressure injuries. This example uses first-year turnover because it has clear benchmarks and several causes a leader can act on.