Date of Conferral

8-8-2025

Degree

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Sally Willis

Abstract

The Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) current succession planning and management practice has been identified as a significant opportunity for alignment with evidence-based practice. This integrative review aimed to synthesize evidence-based healthcare succession management to improve executive leadership stability in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC). This integrative review provided an analysis of empirical and non-empirical literature from 2002 to 2025 for best practices to increase the stability of VAMC executive leadership. The strategic human resource management (SHRM) framework was selected as the conceptual framework to inform a comprehensive process, as succession management is one element of a much larger human capital management strategy. Twenty articles were evaluated utilizing the Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice model, and four themes were identified during the analysis: strategic alignment, operational implementation, developmental approaches, and evaluation and accountability. Subthemes identified include strategic integration, executive leadership support, business continuity vs. crisis management, leadership competencies, evidence-based assessment, succession planning committee, early career focus, action learning, mentoring, objective measurable outcomes, continuous process improvement, and accountability. Key recommendations for professional practice include increasing VAMC governance of strategic workforce management, establishing succession planning programs at VAMCs, and improving integration and marketing of VHA leadership development programs. Results indicated that adopting a comprehensive SHRM framework to strategically deploy a succession management program in VAMCs can lead to positive social change by increasing the stability of leadership in VAMCs.

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