Abstract
Background: The shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) in the healthcare workforce continues to be a major concern to healthcare executives. Department of Health and Human Services predict that Texas will face a shortage of most nurse types by 2032 as 16.3% of the projected demand for RNs in 2032 will not be met. Nurse preceptors use evidence-based practices to support the successful transition/orientation of newly hired nurses as it relates to quality patient care and retention of nurses. Clinical Coaches are foundational for the success of all orientation programming and have tremendous impact on our nurses. Coaching involves a mutual commitment to learning by both the Coach and the Orientee. Registered Nurse Clinical Coaches take primary responsibility for facilitating learning and completion of unit orientation of nurses. Employee recognition is the open acknowledgment and praise of employee behavior or achievement. It’s used by organizations to express appreciation, motivate employees, and reinforce desired behavior. To stabilize the nursing workforce post Covid-19 pandemic, RN Clinical Coaches onboard/orient over 608 RNs between April 2022 – April 2023.
Objective: To develop a Clinical Coach recognition program acknowledging their role in the transition to practice and retention of RNs.
Methods:
- Nomination form and rubric designed to evaluate Clinical Coaches Specialized Partnership Assuring Resilience (SPARC) relationship with experienced and new graduate nurses while exemplifying organizational CORE Values.
- Eligibility: Clinical Coaches who performed this role within previous 12 months.
- Selection twice per year by the SPARC committee.
- SPARC winner recognition – unit presentation, of certificate, nomination letter & SPARC badge; CNO Townhall; and posting on facility intranet page.
Outcomes:
Summer 2023 Award -
- Number of nominations = 67.
- Clinical Coaches with multiple nominations = 9.
- SPARC Winners = 16 which represents 2.6% of nurses hired over the 12-month period.
- Retention rates for LVN/RNs improved over the one-year period (2022-2023) from 74% to 86%.
Implication for Nursing: The Nursing Advisory Board recommends a strong preceptor bench as a key strategy to address the nursing workforce shortage. Recognizing exemplary Clinical Coaches can hardwire desirable behaviors that are in alignment with our organizational core values.
Notes
Presenter notes available in attached slide deck.
Reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Personnel Retention, Personnel Turnover, Registered Nurses, Transitional Programs, Clinical Education, Mentorship, Registered Nurses, Psychological Resilience
Recommended Citation
Williams, Kate and Hutton, Rachel, "Clinical Coaches Igniting the SPARC to Improve RN Retention" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 114.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/114
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-26
Clinical Coaches Igniting the SPARC to Improve RN Retention
Washington, DC, USA
Background: The shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) in the healthcare workforce continues to be a major concern to healthcare executives. Department of Health and Human Services predict that Texas will face a shortage of most nurse types by 2032 as 16.3% of the projected demand for RNs in 2032 will not be met. Nurse preceptors use evidence-based practices to support the successful transition/orientation of newly hired nurses as it relates to quality patient care and retention of nurses. Clinical Coaches are foundational for the success of all orientation programming and have tremendous impact on our nurses. Coaching involves a mutual commitment to learning by both the Coach and the Orientee. Registered Nurse Clinical Coaches take primary responsibility for facilitating learning and completion of unit orientation of nurses. Employee recognition is the open acknowledgment and praise of employee behavior or achievement. It’s used by organizations to express appreciation, motivate employees, and reinforce desired behavior. To stabilize the nursing workforce post Covid-19 pandemic, RN Clinical Coaches onboard/orient over 608 RNs between April 2022 – April 2023.
Objective: To develop a Clinical Coach recognition program acknowledging their role in the transition to practice and retention of RNs.
Methods:
- Nomination form and rubric designed to evaluate Clinical Coaches Specialized Partnership Assuring Resilience (SPARC) relationship with experienced and new graduate nurses while exemplifying organizational CORE Values.
- Eligibility: Clinical Coaches who performed this role within previous 12 months.
- Selection twice per year by the SPARC committee.
- SPARC winner recognition – unit presentation, of certificate, nomination letter & SPARC badge; CNO Townhall; and posting on facility intranet page.
Outcomes:
Summer 2023 Award -
- Number of nominations = 67.
- Clinical Coaches with multiple nominations = 9.
- SPARC Winners = 16 which represents 2.6% of nurses hired over the 12-month period.
- Retention rates for LVN/RNs improved over the one-year period (2022-2023) from 74% to 86%.
Implication for Nursing: The Nursing Advisory Board recommends a strong preceptor bench as a key strategy to address the nursing workforce shortage. Recognizing exemplary Clinical Coaches can hardwire desirable behaviors that are in alignment with our organizational core values.
Description
Clinical Coaches are foundational for the success of all orientation programming and have tremendous impact on our nurses. Specialized Partnership Assuring Resilience (SPARC): a program developed to exemplifying Clinical Coaches' relationship with experienced and new graduate nurses and being a role model of Organizational CORE Values.