title: CEO- CNE relationships: building an evidence-base of chief nursing executive replacement costs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Explore professional relationships between Chief Nurse Executives (CNEs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs); CNE ethnic diversity; and CNE replacement costs.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Theoretical frameworks - Marilyn Ray's Theory of Bureaucratic Caring, and Turkel's Theory of Relational Complexity espousing economic as well as caring variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Exploratory mixed-method descriptive design using CNE mailed survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CNE- cited opportunities for maintaining a positive relationship with the CEO: respect for CEO; goal- sharing (r=.782, p<0.01); having a strong relationship (r= .718, p<0.01); co-problem-solving (r=.437, p<0.01); having an interesting job (r=.406, p<0.01); having similar interests with CEO (r= .346, p<0.01); CEO and CNE maintaining specific roles (r= .261, p<0.05); satisfaction with CNE income (r=.251, p<0.05); willingness to improve relationship with CEO (r=.254, p<0.05). CNE positions demonstrated an ethnic diversity factor of 0.03%. CNE replacement costs to healthcare facilities were over 1.5 million dollars.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CNE/CEO relationships have identified cohesive factors that may contribute to CNE longevity in position; an ethically diverse CNE deficit exists; and, CNE turnover and vacancy rates impact an organization's financial health and quality of care.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63005, USA. sredld@umsl.edu
authors.forename: Darlene
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sredl
authors.forename: Niang-Huei
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D016542:Chief Executive Officers, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000191:economics*; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000191:economics*