Perceptions of US nurses and nurse leaders on authentic nurse leadership, healthy work environment, intent to leave and nurse well-being during a second pandemic year: A cross sectional study

Aim The main aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of clinical nurses and nurse leaders about authentic nurse leadership, work environment, pandemic impact, well-being and intent to leave their position and profession during the second year of the pandemic. Background This research team studied the variables pre-pandemic and in year one of the pandemic. As the pandemic continued, subsequent reports of workforce instability, deteriorating work environment and vulnerable well-being called for an understanding of the current state to inform needed actions by leadership. Methods This study is a cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational analysis using national survey data from 1795 US clinical nurses and nurse leaders in the fall of 2021. Results Pandemic impact was high, authentic nurse leadership was present, healthy work environment was not present and nurse well-being was at-risk and negatively correlated to both healthy work environment and authentic nurse leadership. Within our sample, 61.8% of nurses had no intention to leave their positions, and 82.5% had no intention to leave the profession. Compared with clinical nurses, nurse managers had significantly higher scores on all instruments. Conclusions The findings of this study support leadership as positively related to a healthy work environment. Authentic nurse leadership, a healthy work environment and nurse well-being are all critical components of efforts to stabilize the nursing workforce as we recover and rebuild post-pandemic. Implications for Nursing Management This is a call to action for leadership that will serve the goals of retaining nurses, rebuilding work environments and improving well-being.