How can nursing professionals not only be recruited, but also supported, developed and retained over the long term? The new “Handbook on Holistic Workforce Strategy in Nursing” plus its Appendix (both in German only) from the Center for Social & Health Innovation (CSHI) at MCI brings together practical approaches for healthcare and nursing organisations. It focuses on the entire employee journey – from the first perception of nursing as a profession through recruitment and entry into an organisation to professional development, retention and offboarding. The guidance document was developed as part of the wider CSHI research project ‘EVIGT – Efficient Healthcare Systems and Innovative Healthcare Tyrol’ and thus contributes to efficient, high-quality care.
The guide is aimed in particular at managers, HR professionals, quality managers, decision-makers and other stakeholders in the healthcare and nursing sector. Rather than prescribing a single model, it is designed as a practical tool for reflection and organisational development. Organisations can use it to review existing structures, identify areas for development and prioritise realistic next steps according to their individual context and resources.
The guide draws on a total of 168 perspectives from health and social care, interest groups, politics and public administration. Contributors include current and former nursing professionals, managers, executives, political representatives and other experts. The material combines insights from focus groups, interviews and other participatory formats with findings from research and specialist literature.
A central element of the guide is the employee journey. It illustrates that sustainable workforce strategy does not begin and end with recruitment. Instead, it spans several interconnected stages: the public image and professional identity of nursing, recruitment, preboarding, onboarding, employee retention, life-phase-oriented working conditions and offboarding.
For each stage, the guide outlines practical measures and possible implementation approaches. These include central digital information and job platforms, target-group-specific recruitment, structured preboarding, buddy systems, individual development discussions, digital learning and development tools, participation formats, flexible working-time models and structured exit processes.
To support implementation, the measures are classified according to time horizon and organisational level. This makes it easier to distinguish between actions that can be initiated directly within an organisation and those that require coordination at provider, network or system level. The guide is therefore intended not as a checklist to be completed in full, but as a framework that can be adapted to different organisational settings.
The central message of the guide is that effective workforce strategy in nursing is not created through isolated individual measures. What matters is how recruitment, onboarding, professional development, participation, working conditions and retention are connected over time.
Workforce development is therefore understood as a shared responsibility involving healthcare organisations, leadership, HR, quality management, nursing practice, education and policy. Rather than simply adding more initiatives, the guide encourages organisations to link existing structures more effectively, set realistic priorities and treat workforce development as an ongoing process.
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Research for the Public Interest
Center for Social & Health Innovation
Managing the Public Interest
Social, Health & Public Management | Bachelor
International Health & Social Management | Master
European Health Economics & Management | Master
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